Getting the flavor of...Block Island’s untamed splendor

last updated 8 January 2015

Block Island’s untamed splendor

Springtime on Block Island is a chance to lose yourself in “a wilderness of ocean, moors, and sand,” said Stephen Jermanok in The Boston Globe. Long a summer haven, this “wild sliver of land” off Rhode Island’s coast remains well preserved enough that it begs to be seen before June’s crowds arrive. Bring a bicycle on the ferry or rent one in Old Harbor, the island’s only town, then take a 13-mile loop through its hills and lowlands. You’ll soon see the historic Southeast Lighthouse, where a nearby walking trail leads to the “majestic” Mohegan Bluffs. Farther along the loop, stop to walk a trail into the island’s “appropriately named” Enchanted Forest. The north side of the island features a three-mile-long beach that stretches nearly to the 1867 North Lighthouse, a study in granite. Far across the water stand Newport’s famous mansions, but Block Island remains “the antithesis of such materialism”—especially in early April.

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