Overview and History

The Tillinghast Pond Management Area (TPMA) in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, comprises 2,200 acres of land, with 13 miles of trails passing through diverse ecosystems such as forest, open upland, wetland, and pond habitats. TPMA is managed jointly by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), and the town of West Greenwich. You can access the trails from three main parking lots; all the trails interconnect at some point.

To get to TPMA from Interstate 95 in Rhode Island, take exit 14B toward RI-102 and West Greenwich. Merge onto RI-102. After 3.0 miles, turn left onto Plain Meeting House Road. After 3.5 miles, the parking lot at 600 Plain Meetinghouse Road will be on your left (41.6392, -71.7450). From this lot, you can access the Bates Loop; you can also reach the Flintlock Loop via Narrow Lane. There are no restrooms at this lot.

To get to the parking lot at 100 Plain Road, continue west on Plain Meeting House Road for another 0.4 mile. At the stop sign, turn right onto Plain Road. After 0.6 mile, turn right into the parking lot for TPMA (41.6450, -71.7568). From this lot, you can access the Pond Loop, Flintlock Loop, Logger’s Trail, and Coney Brook Loop. Restrooms are available at this lot.

To get to the parking lot at 150 Hazard Road, turn left onto Plain Road and backtrack for 0.2 mile, then turn right onto Seth Brown Road. After 0.9 mile, turn right onto Muddy Brook Road. You will pass a swamp along this road that can be good for Rusty Blackbirds in spring. Continue along Muddy Brook Road for 0.8 mile, then turn right at the stop sign onto Hazard Road. After 0.9 mile, the third parking lot for TPMA is on the right (41.6485, -71.7793), from which you can access the Shepard Trail and Coney Brook Loop. There are no restrooms at this lot.

Map of Tillinghurst Pond Management Area