Hilltop Trail
- 0.4 mi
- round trip
- 47 ft
- climb
- 147 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Apr, Jun–Oct
- best months
Hilltop Trail is a short, easy hike on Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge in southern Rhode Island, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The route is an out-and-back of about 0.76 miles with a total climb of about 47 feet, making it a gentle walk that is easy to fit into a visit to the refuge. Summer and early fall are the mildest times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Kingston run from highs around 75°F in June to about 73°F in September, with September also seeing the fewest wet days of the year at nine. Several other trails lie within a few miles, including Watchaug Pond Trail at about 2.5 miles and Vin Gormley Trail at about 2.6 miles. Climbers can head to Buckeye Boulders, about 3.1 miles away, and paddlers can reach the Pawcatuck River, roughly 4.5 miles off.
- Watchaug Pond TrailHiking2.5 mi
Vin Gormley TrailHikingPhoto: Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)2.6 mi- Sammy C TrailHikingPhoto: Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)2.7 mi
- The AvacadoRock climbing3.1 mi
- The Buckeye BouldersRock climbing3.1 mi
- The Midway boulderRock climbing3.1 mi
- Pawcatuck RiverCanoeing4.5 mi
- Chipuxet RiverRiver fishing6.1 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Vin Gormley TrailHiking · ~4 min drivePhoto: Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
North South TrailHiking · ~7 min drivePhoto: jjeff, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Tomaquag TrailHiking · ~14 min drivePhoto: Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Pachaug TrailHiking · ~22 min drive
- Sammy C TrailHiking · ~5 min drivePhoto: Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Grassy Point TrailHiking · ~3 min drive
- Watchaug Pond TrailHiking · ~4 min drive
- Lavallee Cross Refuge TrailHiking · ~3 min drive
- Whale Rock TrailHiking · ~19 min drive
- Charlietown Runway TrailHiking · ~4 min drive
Best time to visit Hilltop Trail
Best months: April and June–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
37° / 19°
12 wet
Feb
39° / 21°
11 wet
Mar
46° / 27°
12 wet
Apr
56° / 36°
12 wet
May
66° / 45°
13 wet
Jun
75° / 54°
11 wet
Jul
80° / 60°
11 wet
Aug
79° / 59°
10 wet
Sep
73° / 52°
9 wet
Oct
62° / 41°
12 wet
Nov
52° / 32°
11 wet
Dec
43° / 25°
12 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Kingston 1 W, RI, 8 mi away at 106 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
