All stories

15 stops in route order. Everything is readable and playable here, whether or not you're on the trail.

• 1

  You're standing on Wolf Hill, one of Smithfield's…

  Geology

  Look around you for a second. You're standing on Wolf Hill, one of Smithfield's biggest protected forests. This long, rocky ridge rises above the surrounding landscape and gives this hike a surprisingly wild feel for a place so close to Providence.

  Listen Replay

  Best-effort placement along estimated route reconstructed from public trail maps/descriptions

• 2This stretch is part of a roughly 300-acre conservation…
  Wildlife
• 3There's a somber piece of history near here
  History
• 4Some of the broad paths you see aren't new hiking…
  History
• 5Much of Wolf Hill is classic southern New England…
  History
• 6Notice how the forest changes in the cooler, lower pockets
  Nature
• 7Keep an eye near your feet in the sunnier uplands
  Wildlife
• 8If you spot a shallow woodland pool that seems like it…
  Water
• 9When the trail approaches the power-line corridor, the…
  Wildlife
• 10You're approaching one of Wolf Hill's rewards: Mercer…
  Scenic View
• 11The exposed rock around this part of Wolf Hill is a…
  Industry
• 12The southern side of the Wolf Hill system gets…
  Geology
• 13Wolf Hill didn't become one protected block all at once
  Nature
• 14If some of these trail junctions feel more organized…
  History
• 15Here's the big geographic picture: Wolf Hill rises…
  Water