• Hampden Meadows Greenbelt/Sowams Trail
• Linden Road, Barrington, RI
• Trailhead: 41°44’44.61″N, 71°17’52.11″W
• Last Time Hiked: April 22, 2014
• Approximate distance hiked: 2.3 miles
• Easy.

Today I was accompanied by a co-worker on this exploratory hike. I came across this site while researching another site that I had recently hiked. I did not find much of anything about it other than an article in a local on-line newspaper that stated that the town was looking to make improvements to the trail. That article was a few years old. I really had no idea of the trails distance, whether it were passable, and so forth. We set out from a small grass parking area on Linden Road where there is signage for the trail. The first half mile of the trail is a wide flat path and is ideal not only for hikers, but for walkers and joggers as well. There are occasional boardwalks over muddy spots. A stream is off in the woods a bit to the right. At the end of the first section is a small pond. After crossing Kent Street the trail continues on the right side of the stream. Signage here calls it off as the Sowams Trail. The trail is much narrower and root bound in areas as it follows the shore of the stream. After the next crossing (by the school) the trail continues along the stream becoming narrower and muddier before exiting at Christine Drive. There is no signage at this end and the trail is almost non-existence at the very end as the trail squeezes between a fence and stream. We then retraced our steps back to the car. I was also pleasantly surprised by the wildlife sightings. We came across one rabbit, two ducks, and three deer.

I did not find a trail map online.

Hampden Meadow Greenbelt