• Breakheart Brook/Tripp Trail
• Ten Rod Road, Exeter, RI
• Trailhead: 41°34’36.85″N, 71°42’21.23″W
• Last Time Hiked: March 5, 2016
• Approximate distance hiked: 3.6 miles
• Fairly easy, some muddy areas.

This hike has it all! It follows some of the lesser used trails in the Arcadia Management Area that parallel some of the most used. While the John B. Hudson and Shelter Trails are heavily used, I decided to use the Tripp Trail, The Baton Trail, and an unnamed and stunningly beautiful trail along Breakheart Brook. This hike also visits two landmarks of Arcadia being Breakheart Pond and Frosty Hollow Pond. We started from the small parking area at the trailhead for the Tripp Trail at Ten Rod Road. The trail is an old dirt road the heads north into Arcadia. Almost immediately you will find a cellar hole and stone walls. Just ahead is a rather large vernal pool and mountain laurel starts to appear along the trail under the tall pines. There are a couple narrow spur trails along this stretch. Ignore them and continue straight. Soon you will reach and intersection with another dirt road to the left at about 3/4 of a mile into the hike. This is the Baton Trail and we would return on it. There is a sign on a tree here with an arrow directing toward Frosty Hollow. Continuing straight along Tripp Trail, we soon came upon the intersecting John B. Hudson Trail. It is blazed yellow. In fact it uses a short portion of the Tripp Trail. Continue straight here staying on the old dirt road. After a couple hundred feet the yellow blazes soon turn to the left and the old dirt road continues straight. Still continue straight. The trail soon to start slightly downhill before coming to its end. To the right is a small brook worth checking out before turning left onto Austin Farm Road. The road descends slightly downhill and soon the Breakheart Trail appears to the right. From here we continued straight to the dam and waterfall at Breakheart Pond. After crossing the bridge we stayed to the left on the dirt road briefly before turning left onto a very narrow path along the brook. The trail, unmarked and officially unnamed, follows Breakheart Brook for about 3/4 of a mile. It is one of the best stretches of trail in Rhode Island. The brook has several small rapids and waterfalls. The narrow trail, flanked by mountain laurel traverses along the bank and offers stunning views of the brook. Be sure to bring your camera. The trail climbs slightly uphill just as the brook turns to the left. After going up the hill, take the trail to the right. The trail to the left dead ends. The trail to the right soon bends to the left and passes another vernal pool before coming to Frosty Hollow Road. Turn left here and cross the bridge the crosses over Breakheart Brook. After crossing the bridge we turned left to the trailhead of the Baton Trail. But first we took a peek at Frosty Hollow Pond. The small kettle hole pond is known to be a great trout fishing spot. Today there was a thin layer of ice on it. Just after passing the gate at the Baton Trail, the white blazed, well known and well used Shelter Trail appears to the left. We continued straight and followed the Baton Trail to its end back at the Tripp Trail. Here we turned right and retraced our steps along the Tripp Trail back to the parking area.

For hikes in this area I would suggest obtaining a copy of the Great Swamp Press Map of the Arcadia Management Area.

Breakheart Brook and the trail that follows it.