• Carolina North – Carolina State Management Area
• Pine Hill Road, Richmond, RI
• Trailhead: 41°27’58.82″N,  71°41’20.07″W
• Last Time Hiked: May 10, 2014
• Approximate distance hiked: 4.7 miles
• Easy with some elevation.

If you are looking for a walk in the woods then the northern part of the Carolina State Management Area is where to go. With the exception of a quick view of a brook this hike was all woods with just a few stone walls and boulders. I started this hike from the parking area where the hunters check station is on Pine Hill Road and then followed the road westerly a few hundred feet. Opposite utility pole 68 a dirt road appears. This road is a section of the North-South Trail. I followed this road to its end passing a gated trail to the left. At the end of the road it turns sharply right. But straight ahead, blazed in blue, is the Meadowbrook Trail. After exploring the brook at the end of the road for a bit, I took the Meadowbrook Trail. Almost immediately after the rocks a trail goes to the left. I went straight to the next intersection passing some outcrops in the woods. This section is still part of the North-South Trail. At the next intersection I turned left onto the Gardner Trail. This would begin the slow ascent up the south side of Kenyon Hill. At the of the Gardner Trail I turned right onto the Jerue Trail to the next intersection completing my climb up the hill. Here I turned left, now going downhill, I followed the Habrek Trail to its end. I then turned left onto the Shippee Trail again climbing up another hill until I reached the Essex Trail at the next intersection. Here I turned right and followed it for a short distance to a Y intersection. I turned left here onto the Laurel Trail. The trail continues back to Pine Hill Road and gets narrower and traverses through denser woods as approaches the road. At the road I turned left and followed it back to the parking area. I used the Great Swamp Press map of the management area for this hike. The trails are not marked or blazed except for the section of the North-South Trail.

Trail map can be found at: Carolina North.

A Boulder By The Trail