If there’s any type of hiking that Rhode Island is known for, it’s hikes with coastal ocean views.

Whether you’re planning to visit Rhode Island or live in the state, add these best coastal hikes in Rhode Island to your list (or make a challenge to hike them all!)

In this guide to the best coastal hikes in Rhode Island, you’ll find:

• 15+ hiking locations
• Detailed Trail guides for each location
• Links to Reels for a virtual tour of the trail
• Links to the AllTrails route map for each navigation

If you need hiking boots to get started on the trails, I believe these are my favorite that I claim to be the #1 Hiking Boots for New England (All Seasons).

Need friends to hike with? Join the Rhode Island Hiking Collective, a free community group to help folks get outdoors on the trails.

Learn more about Why I Started Rhode Island Hiking Collective (& Who it’s for).

One thing Rhode Island hiking trails are NOT known for is great signage and trail markers. I’d recommend using AllTrails to navigate the hiking trail.

Should you want to upgrade to AllTrails+ for more features like the ability to download offline maps, get wrong turn notifications, and more, use code MEREDITH30 for 30% off your subscription to AllTrails+.

Here are the Best Coastal Hikes in Rhode Island…

Cliff Walk, Newport

🥾 3.5 miles point-to-point, 7 miles round trip
👍🏼 Terrain is varied: starting at Memorial Blvd. is mostly flat, paved walkways; starting at Ledge Rd. is uneven rock
🚙 Metered parking spots can be found on Memorial Blvd. at Easton’s Beach or on Narragansett Ave. at 40 Steps
🏫 Restrooms & water fountains are seasonally available at Narragansett Ave.
🐶 Dogs allowed
🌊 Coastal ocean views & benches along the trail
🏄‍♂️ If the surf is high, stop at Ruggles Ave. to watch the surfers
⛔ Follow the signs for the small construction detour between Narragansett Ave. & Webster Ave

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

➡️ AllTrails Route Map (30% off AllTrails+ Membership with code MEREDITH30)

Fort Adams Bay Walk, Newport

🥾 2.2 mile coastal loop
👍🏼 Paved trail, Stroller-friendly & ADA-accessible
🐶 Dogs allowed
🌊 Coastal ocean views of Narragansett Bay
🚙 Free Parking
🏫 Restrooms & Water on-site
🪳Ticks are prevalent! Prepare, stay on trail, check yourself after
✍🏼 History! Fort Adams served the U.S. Navy for ten years & the U.S. Army for more than a century
🏯 Don’t miss the Eisenhower House which was once the summer White House of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
❗Leave no trace & pack out your trash. Please don’t feed wildlife.

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

➡️ AllTrails Route Map (30% off AllTrails+ Membership with code MEREDITH30)

Sachuest National Wildlife Refuge Trail, Middletown

🥾 2.4 mile loop (with an option to cut it short by about half if you want)
👍🏼 Flat gravel path, navigable for some wheelchairs & strollers
🌊 Coastal ocean viewing platforms & benches along the trail
🐶 No dogs allowed
🦉 Popular area for birders!
🚙 Free parking, 2 van accessible spots
🏫 Visitor Center with indoor restrooms & educational exhibits, check seasonal hours

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

➡️ AllTrails Route Map (30% off AllTrails+ Membership with code MEREDITH30)

Norman Bird Sanctuary Trails, Middletown

🥾 7 miles of trails
💸 $7 Adult, $6 Senior/Military, $3 Child
🐶 No dogs allowed
🚙 Free Parking
🏫 Restrooms & Water on-site
🦉 Popular area for birders!
🪳Ticks are prevalent! Prepare, stay on trail, check yourself after
🌊 Coastal ocean views from the end of Hanging Rock & Nelson Pond Trail
⛔ Be aware of rock ledges, some scrambling
❗Leave no trace & pack out your trash. Please don’t feed wildlife.

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

➡️ AllTrails Route Map (30% off AllTrails+ Membership with code MEREDITH30)

Purgatory Chasm, Middletown

🥾 Less than 1 mile
🐶 Dogs allowed
🚙 Free Parking — Spaces are limited (approx. 8)
🏫 No Restrooms or Water
🪳Ticks are prevalent! Prepare, stay on trail, check yourself after
🪨 Geology nerds will love this one!
🌊 Coastal ocean views of surfers at Second Beach & Sachuest Point
⛔ Be aware of the open rock ledges on the coast, they can be slippery & dangerous
❗Leave no trace & pack out your trash. Please don’t feed wildlife.

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

Beavertail Lighthouse Loop, Jamestown

🥾 2.3 mile loop
👍🏼 Mostly flat woods & grass trails, muddy after rain!
🌊 Coastal ocean & rocky coastline views
🚙 Free parking, 4 lots each with trailhead access
🏫 Lighthouse museum is open seasonally, restroom kiosks outside
🏰 Tower is open select days for climbing
🐶 Dogs allowed
🪳Ticks are prevalent! Prepare, stay on trail, & check you & your dogs after
⛔ Leave no trace — “carry in & carry out” all your trash
❗Be mindful on the rocks. They can be slippery when wet or covered in moss & can crumble when dry.

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

➡️ AllTrails Route Map (30% off AllTrails+ Membership with code MEREDITH30)

Fort Wetherill State Park Trail, Jamestown

🥾 A couple miles of hiking trails
🌊 Coastal ocean views from various lookouts
🐶 Dogs allowed
🚙 Free Parking
🏫 Restrooms (May 1 to Oct 31)
🍽️ Picnic Tables
✍🏼 History! Former coastal defense battery and training camp dating back to the American Revolution, you’ll see the former structures throughout the park
🤿 Popular scuba diving site
🪳Ticks are prevalent! Prepare, stay on trail, check yourself after
⛔ Rocks can be slippery & dangerous
❗Leave no trace & pack out your trash. Please don’t feed wildlife.

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

➡️ AllTrails Route Map (30% off AllTrails+ Membership with code MEREDITH30)

Osamequin Nature Trails and Bird Sanctuary Trails, Barrington

🥾 Few miles of intersecting trails
🐶 Dogs allowed
🦅 Osprey nests & wildlife viewing areas
🌊 Coastal ocean views
🚙 Free Parking
🚍 Accessible by the Route 60 Newport Providence bus
🏫 NO restrooms or water
✍🏼 Noted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to be one of the 50 most important coastal marshes between Long Island and Cape Cod
🌲 Osamequin is named in honor of the Massasoit or “Great Leader” of the Pokanoket Tribe of the Wampanoag Nation
❗Leave no trace & pack out your trash. Please don’t feed wildlife.

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

➡️ AllTrails Route Map (30% off AllTrails+ Membership with code MEREDITH30)

Claire D. Macintosh Wildlife Refuge Trail, Bristol

🥾 1 mile out & back
👍🏼 Easy ADA certified accessible hard-packed crushed stone trail and wooden boardwalk
🌊 Coastal ocean viewing platforms & a few benches along the trail
🦅 Osprey nests right on the trail, lots of birds & nature sounds!
🚲 Access point to the East Bay Bike Path
🐶 No dogs allowed
🚙 Free parking
🥪 Covered picnic tables
🏫 Audubon Society of Rhode Island Nature Center & Aquarium with indoor restrooms, water fountains, & educational exhibits (exhibit entry may have a cost), check seasonal hours
❗Leave no trace & pack out your trash. Please don’t feed wildlife.

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

➡️ AllTrails Route Map (30% off AllTrails+ Membership with code MEREDITH30)

Touisset Marsh Wildlife Refuge Trail, Warren

🥾 1.2 mile loop
👍🏼 Trails can be muddy after rain
🚙 Free parking
🐶 No dogs allowed
🌊 Coastal views of the Kickemuit River
🦊 Keep an eye out for wildlife! Deer, fox, bunnies & lots of birds are known to make this preserve home
🪳Ticks are prevalent! Prepare, stay on trail, check yourself after
🏫 NO restrooms or water
❗Leave no trace & pack out your trash. Please don’t feed wildlife.

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

➡️ AllTrails Route Map (30% off AllTrails+ Membership with code MEREDITH30)

Colt State Park Loop, Bristol

🚙 Free Parking
🏫 Restrooms throughout the park
🐶 Dogs allowed
🥾 5 miles of hiking trails
🚴🏼 4 miles of paved bike paths that intersect with the East Bay Bike Path
🍽️ Lots of picnic tables and lawn space
🦅 Osprey nests & lots of birds in the Marsh!
🌊 Coastal ocean views of Narragansett Bay
❗Leave no trace & pack out your trash. Please don’t feed wildlife.

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

➡️ AllTrails Route Map (30% off AllTrails+ Membership with code MEREDITH30)

Goddard Memorial State Park Trails, Warwick

🥾 1.4 mile or 3.7 mile loop, but with lots of intersecting trails
👩🏼‍🦽Miles of ADA & Stroller-friendly paved paths around the park
🐕 Dogs allowed
🌊 Coastal ocean views of Greenwich Cove for part of the trail
🚘 Free Parking
🚾 Restrooms
🐴 Multi-use park: Picnic Tables, Game Fields, Concerts, Golf, Beach, Equestrian Center, Hiking Trails, & more
🛑 Leave no trace & pack out your trash. Please don’t feed wildlife. Be aware of ticks!

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

➡️ AllTrails Route Map (30% off AllTrails+ Membership with code MEREDITH30)

Rodman’s Hollow Trail, Block Island

🥾 3.5 mile loop with intersecting trails
🦉 Popular area for birders!
🌊 Coastal ocean views
🐕 Dogs allowed
🚘 Free Parking, approx. 10 spots
🚾 NO Restrooms
⚠️ Ticks & poison ivy are in this area. Don’t feed wildlife. Leave no trace & pack out your trash.

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

➡️ AllTrails Route Map (30% off AllTrails+ Membership with code MEREDITH30)

Clay Head Trail, Block Island

🥾 3.5 mile out & back trail
🐦 Great place to view migratory songbirds!
🌊 Coastal ocean & bluff views
🐕 Dogs allowed
🚘 Free Parking, approx. 8 spots
🚾 NO Restrooms
⚠️ Ticks & poison ivy are in this area. Don’t feed wildlife. Leave no trace & pack out your trash.

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

➡️ AllTrails Route Map (30% off AllTrails+ Membership with code MEREDITH30)

Hodge Preserve Trail, Block Island

🥾 1 mile out & back trail
👍🏼 Fairly easy trail
🐦 Lots of birds!
🌊 Pond, lighthouse, & coastal ocean views in the distance
🐕 Dogs allowed
🚘 Free Parking, approx. 10 spots
🚾 NO Restrooms
⚠️ Ticks & poison ivy are in this area. Don’t feed wildlife. Leave no trace & pack out your trash.

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

Napatree Point Conservation Area Trail, Westerly

🥾 3 mile loop
🌾 Trail is sandy beach & rock with marsh views
🐦 Tons of interesting and rare birds!
🌊 Coastal ocean views on one side, bay on the other
🐕 Dogs allowed
🚘 Street Parking
🚾 NO Restrooms
🪩Fun fact: Taylor Swift’s house is just up the street!
⚠️ Ticks & poison ivy are in this area. Don’t feed wildlife. Leave no trace & pack out your trash.

🎥 Watch this Reel for a virtual tour 🎥

➡️ AllTrails Route Map (30% off AllTrails+ Membership with code MEREDITH30)

Have done any of these hikes? I’d love to know your favorites in the comments!

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