East Beach Loop

A common feature of the coastline on the east coast is the barrier beach. This hike is really unique to the Rhode Island shoreline because it is one of the longest uninhabited barrier beaches. A round-trip hike from parking lot to breach way is about 7.5 miles. It is managed by the state department of environmental management. This type of land feature is common to the east coast. It is a spit of land with the ocean on one side and a pond on the other. The pond is used as an oyster farm and the opposite land is a National Wildlife Refuge, so there is plenty of birding to be done. There is a variety of plant species to observe, many of them native to the east coast including the pine, huckleberry, assortment of grasses and wildflowers like goldenrod and boneset.