Francis C. Carter Memorial Preserve

Owned by the Nature Conservancy since 2001 and 2014, this 1,112 acre property was acquired with help from The Champlin Foundations, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the Cove Point Foundation. The preserve is dedicated to Francis (“Frank”) C. Carter, who led the Champlin Foundations for many years.

Straddling the rocky uplands of the Charlestown moraine and the sandy floodplain of the Pawcatuck River, the property supports a variety of natural communities, most notably rare pitch pine/scrub oak barrens, vernal pools, and a 70 acre grassland. This preserve is one of the largest protected properties in the state. It joins several thousand acres of contiguous forest and contributes to an 11-mile corridor of open space running from the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge to the state’s Carolina Management Area.

Parking areas off of Old Mill Road, Kings Factory Road, and Route 112 lead to over 8 miles of hiking trails. A recent expansion of the Carter Preserve in both Charlestown and Richmond will add to these trails.

For more information about the Carter Preserve, along with guidelines for using the trails, please visit the Rhode Island Nature Conservancy webpage on this preserve.

To the Route 112 entrance:

• Watch for the preserve sign on the right
• A short dirt road leads to the parking area

To the Old Mill Road entrance:

• Drive past the preserve sign on Route 112 and take the next right onto Old Mill Road
• Continue on Old Mill Road until the road curves sharply to the left
• Do not turn the corner, but bear right onto the dirt road at the sign
• Follow the dirt road straight to a parking area

Google Map at 41.438913, -71.656172