Perry Farm – Bristol
- Perry-Tavares Farm
- Metacom Avenue, Bristol, RI
- Trailhead: 41°42’34.4″N 71°16’01.2″W
- First Time Hiked: July 19, 2014
- Last Time Hiked: January 16, 2017
- Approximate distance hiked: 1.6 miles
- Fairly easy.
**FEBRUARY 2021 – USE CAUTION WHEN HIKING HERE, THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF ILLEGAL HUNTING. IT IS ADVISED, AS WITH ANY OTHER AREA WITH HUNTING, TO WEAR ORANGE***
Between the first visit here in the summer of 2014 and the last, in January of 2017, the Bristol Conservation Commission and their many volunteers have made great improvements to this property. The nearly two mile system is blazed with blue, white, and yellow trails. There are several access points to the property including the Elmwood Drive entrance which features a footbridge over a small stream. The main entrance, opposite Fatima Drive, along Metacom Avenue offers a small parking area. The blue blazed trail runs from Metacom Avenue westerly to the power line easement and the yellow loop trail. Along this stretch you will pass a couple stone walls, vernal pools, and some old towering trees. The yellow trail loops through the midsection of the property passing areas of birch trees and small outcrops of pudding-stone. The white blazed trail at the northern end of the property weaves along the edge of a meadow and through areas of thickets that are a haven for birds. The property is especially suited for photography of flowers and birds. On the two (of likely several more) visits I encountered rabbits, toads, hawks, robins, blue jays, woodpeckers, finches as well as an abundance of wildflowers including milkweed, black raspberries, and grapes attracting not only the birds but butterflies, bees, and dragonflies. Deer, owls, and turkey have also been seen on this property.
Trail map can be found at: Perry Tavares Farm
Winter Tree at Perry Farm Meadow
Trails & Walks in Rhode Island 
This property has come a long way in the last 3 years. There are now almost 2 miles of blazed trails, throughout the more than 100 acres of woodland. Property has owls, deer, hawks, turkeys, and a vast variety of flora with old farm stonewalls crossing throughout, Trail maps available at the bridge on Elmwood, as well as at a new entry at the light on Metacom Ave, at Fatima Drive (see sign on Metacom). Trail map also available on town website at the bottom of the Conservation Commission page: http://www.bristolri.us/412/Conservation-Commission
Mr. Morettini, I will update this in the near future as I plan on a visit soon… btw, I sent you a Facebook message as well!
Thank you! If you’d like me to join you, I’d be happy to. I’m the chair of the Conservation Commission in Bristol, and have done most of the trail work there (with lots of help from Commission members and Community volunteers).
Look forward to hearing from you.
Take care,
Tony
401-487-3353
On Sat, Jan 14, 2017 at 5:26 PM, Trails & Walks in Rhode Island wrote:
> Trails & Walks commented: “Mr. Morettini, I will update this in the near > future as I plan on a visit soon… btw, I sent you a Facebook message as > well!” >
Hi – replied via e-mail, so not sure if you saw it. Here’s what I said.
Thank you! If you’d like me to join you, I’d be happy to. I’m the chair of the Conservation Commission in Bristol, and have done most of the trail work there (with lots of help from Commission members and Community volunteers).
Look forward to hearing from you.
Tony
Tony — I live on Elmwood Drive and walk the trails regularly. I’ve been noticing a new blind being constructed in the conservation land, and hearing gun shots from my house. I assume there is no hunting permitted in this public use area. Whom should I contact, and what can be done? Thanks. Beth Vorro
Hi Beth –
First – are you Andy and Vi’s daughter?
I was in the woods Saturday with my wife – we actually parked at the end of Elmwood. There certainly is no hunting allowed. Where do you see the blind??
As you know, there IS hunting down in the Mill Gut at Colt Park – we can hear the shot guns in the Highlands occasionally, but there is no hunting or shooting allowed on town property.
My recommendation would be, if you hear shots fired to immediately call the police.
Thanks – Tony
Hi Tony. Yes, I am Vi and Andy’s daughter. I know you were their neighbor, but I don’t think we ever met. Thanks for getting back to me.
The location of the blind is a little hard to describe. If you walk straight in from Elmwood and stay straight on that trail, you come to the clearing where the power lines are. Go right, and then re-enter the woods at first opportunity. You immediately come to a beautiful, fairly dense grove. As you walk through the grove, the blind is on the right. It’s on the ground, has walls and a roof, and appears to be still under construction. As you might imagine, it’s a little hard to see.
If you would like us to take you there, let me know.
As for the gunshots, we will definitely call police when we hear them again. They are coming from that direction.
Thanks, Tony, for your response. We love the trails (Great job!), and are understandably concerned about hunting activity there.
Hi Beth – thanks. That’s on the Yellow “Loop” trail. I know where you’re talking about. Last time I saw it (in December) it was little more than a small frame in the trees – it looked like a Boy Scout project! Sorry to hear there’s been activity. We’ll go in and take it down. Our experience most of the time has been when we dismantle something that’s been “built” it doesn’t come back. I think the knowledge that we’re “watching” makes the location way less attractive.
Really appreciate you giving me the heads up, and REALLY appreciate you going for walks! It’s getting alot more use, which is good for everybody.
If you need to get me again, or have any questions, you can use my email – tmorettini@gmail.com, or even feel free to call at 253-8521.
Tony
PS – I was just reminiscing about your folks over the holidays. I was telling some people I was with about your father’s New Years parties. I miss them (your folks, and the parties)!
Hello Tony,
Just seeing your response from yesterday now. I actually went there this morning to revisit the property. Great job!!! Also ran into a couple friends of yours! Good to see folks using the property. Still would be interested in meeting up with you sometime to visit the property again. I’ve got some friends that may be interested in checking it out as well. You and the rest of the commission did a great job with this property… Well done. I will be posting some pictures to the Trails and Walks Facebook page in a little while. Check them out and feel free to share/use them (as well as this blog) to promote the property.
Thank you! It’s been a long time in the making. When you have 3 or 4 guys with loppers and handsaws in the woods chopping away, it takes awhile to clear almost 2 miles. Throw in (or out!) trash ranging from tires, to patio sets, to mattresses . . . you get the idea. Thank God for Roger Williams U and the Boy Scouts jumping in every once in awhile. As you know, with these kinda of trails 25% of your time in the woods is spent “re-clearing” overgrowth, tree fall, etc. Never ending process.
We are over the moon happy we are finally ready for prime time and getting some visibility and, more importantly, use!
I’d be more than happy to join you for a walk. Let me know when, and I’ll be there. I gotta ask – did you get the name of the folks you ran into?