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Renting or Buying Equipment
Renting or Buying Equipment
Sadly, since EMS closed, there are no longer any rental options in Rhode Island. (Please message the Facebook page if you hear of any!) Outside Rhode Island, there are several places within driving distance that also rent; these are described below.
Another option not too far from Rhode Island is Ski House, in Somerset, MA.
If you are looking to buy equipment, check with REI in Cranston. We also understand that Second Time Around Sports in Cranston might also be a good place to check, along with Craigslist and EBay of course. And failing that, Google is your friend - there are many places that will ship skis to you.
Pulaski Park, Glocester, RI
Pulaski Park, Glocester, RI
The Rhode Island Department of Parks and Recreation is kind enough to occasionally machine-groom approximately four miles of ski trails at Pulaski Park, pictured above. (Sadly, many of the pines in the banner picture have been cut down in the past couple of years, but there are still plenty of other nice trails available.) The entrance to the park is located off Rt. 44 in Glocester, just before the Connecticut line. (Most of the park is actually in Burillville.) Entry is free and the park is open seven days a week, although there are signs advising that you must leave before sunset.
I've posted the Department of Environmental Management's brochure on skiing in the park, which includes directions and a trail map, and here is a press release with more information. (You can sometimes get a copy of the brochure at the park from the blue box labeled "maps" in the lower parking lot.) For a voice recording regarding conditions and the date the park was last groomed, call 401-568-2085.
In addition to the ski trails, a short snowshoe trail was added in 2013. The trail starts behind the "Base Camp" building next to the pond. Skaters (on skis) beware; the ski trails are groomed for classical diagonal-stride skiing only.
Please note: you MUST wear blaze orange to ski in the park (at least 200 square inches -- a vest works well for this). DEM sometimes provides a box of vests at the trailhead for those who've forgotten theirs. They have been known to turn away skiers away if they do not wear orange, particularly during shotgun season, since the park does border George Washington Management Area and there is a real risk of encountering hunters.
See below for details about the closure of a small portion of the trails.
Rhode Island and Nearby Massachusetts
Rhode Island and Nearby Massachusetts
Here's a list of a few areas that are known to be good ski spots.
Providence & points north
Providence & points north
Lincoln:
Lincoln Woods State Park, recommended by DEM as having open areas and trails suitable for skiing.
Chase Farm on Route 123 in Lincoln. Mark Dennen reported on 2/18/2014: "Chase Farm is nice for skiing. Big open areas and some hills. Parking is sometimes difficult at the Park on weekends but you can ski there via a greenway trail from Lonsdale Elementary School on River Road in Lincoln (as long as school is not in session)."
The fields near The Kelly House along the Blackstone River Bikeway (recommended by Patricia McAlpine on February 12, 2015)
Pawtucket: Slater Park is also recommended by Patricia McAlpine.
Providence, East Side:
India Point Park. According to Will Anderson, "what it lacks in grooming, size and panache, it sort of makes up for in accessibility for the city folks. Parking lot may not be plowed, but there is plenty of parking along the street."
Blackstone Boulevard: Many people ski down the running trail in the center of the park. Just be careful with the many road crossings.
Providence, South Side: Roger Williams Park, especially around the pond.
Providence, West Side: Triggs Memorial Golf Course, 1533 Chalkstone Avenue. Before skiing here, see below for special notes regarding golf courses. Joe Sherlock had this to say about skiing here on 1/14/2011:
"Just cut a 2 mile track out around the perimeter of Triggs Golf Course in Providence on some sweet, fast, untouched, snow. Park in lower lot. It's plowed and lit. I like the clockwise route. There are some fun, wide-open hills. Great place to go at night. It is lit on all four sides and is open and easy to navigate. Best skiing I have ever had at my local spot. Say hi to my coyote friend if ya go at dusk!"
Providence, West Side: Buttonhole Golf Course, One Buttonhole Drive. Buttonhole connects up nicely to the Fred Lippitt Woonasquatucket Bike Path, which runs between Olneyville and Johnston. The golf course, although small, provides some enjoyable hills for variety compared with the bike path. Before skiing here, see below for special notes regarding golf courses.
Cumberland: The Cumberland Public Library grounds, 1464 Diamond Hill Road. The library is situated on 530 acres that were the former home of a Trappist monastery, Our Lady of the Valley. Comments from Lynn Curtis on 1/29/2011:
"The closer-in trails have a pretty-well-packed multiuse path which works okay to ski on. I cut some tracks parallel to that path where there was space, in the open fields. The further-out trails have snowshoe tracks that are quite flat and pretty good skiing, with practically no punch-throughs. I also cut some tracks there on connecting trails that hadn't been snowshoed."
East Bay
East Bay
Middletown: Aquidneck Land Trust Trail.
Bristol: Colt State Park, recommended by DEM as having open areas suitable for skiing.
Newport: Miantonomi Park, recommended by Meg Smith on 2/10/2015.
West Bay and South County
West Bay and South County
Foster/Scituate: Ponaganset High School has approximately three miles of gentle up-and-down cross-country trails, with their very own covered bridge; here is a map of the trails. Coach Jimmy Carron maintains the trails and encourages their use for low-impact activities like walking, running, skiing, or biking. Park at the entrance marked "athletic fields," north of the main entrance to the high school. The Covered Bridge Trail starts behind the right side of the building, to the right of the track near the tennis courts. The school is located at 137 Anan Wade Rd, North Scituate. (Thanks, Paula B and John M, for providing this info!)
Glocester: Heritage Park is open during winter months, with trails of up to one and a half miles in length circling the park. Located on Chestnut Oak Rd off of route 44. (Again, thanks to Paula for this one.)
Warwick/East Greenwich: Goddard Park, which has horse trails and a large golf course ideal for skiing. See below for special notes regarding golf courses.
Exeter: Arcadia Management Area (be sure to wear orange!). Here's a map provided by Jason Groves. See Trail Forks for topographic trail maps and other info. Comments from Jason, who skied Arcadia on 1/16/2011:
"Buddy and I hit up Arcadia Park today, had an adventure in the woods following a set of tracks. Great coverage & 'backcountry' conditions. What we did was so haphazard that I wouldn't want to give any one the impression that you could retrace our steps, but I will say that if you go to Frosty Hollow Pond parking lot and follow the tracks that start at the red gate there you can do a 1-2 hour loop that will take you back to your car via the south tip of Breakheart Pond. We came back via Frosty Hollow Road, a plowed dirt road (1" coverage). That wasn't so fun but maybe there is a better way. Otherwise great coverage and amazing scenery."
Further comments from Ted Schwartz on 1/30/2011:
"We did Mount Tom this morning (Sunday). It was very nice. Most of it could be done on XC skis. The check in station on the Wood River has been plowed open for parking.
And from Gary Whitney on 2/14/2014:
"Went out in Arcadia area today - old Arcadia trail from Rt 3 by Exeter/Richmond line west to Tefft Hill and N/S trails and various side trails. Solid base of 6" with a soft crust on top that was too easy to break through. Backcountry of course and not fast at all but at least no rocks, etc to chew up the skis. If you are in the area it can be a nice change from barebooting or snowshoes."
West Greenwich: Ann Piascik, co-chairwoman of the Ski Subcommittee for the Narragansett Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, suggests the Tillinghast Pond Management Area in West Greenwich. Hunting is permitted in the area, so skiers should wear fluorescent orange vests or hats. [From a quote in the Providence Journal, January 30, 2014]
Big River: Not far from Arcadia is Big River. See the Trail Forks for topographic trail maps and other info. Comments from Rob Ahern on 1/6/2013:
"There's a ton of mountain biking trails in it. None of the trails are snow groomed, but they're easy to spot and wide enough for 2-3 people to be alongside each other in most places. There's some parking lots with good trail access right off 95. It is a designated hunting area, so let people know to wear orange. Some of the trails are marked, but none of it is official (so don't go by the markers). There are some trail maps available online through mountain biking blogs and websites."
South Kingstown: Trustom Pond Wildlife Refuge. Description thanks to Bobby Chinn on 2/6/2011:
"All that you see on this map is all there is: about 3 miles total if you count having to double back on the 2 one-way 'point' trails. But the scenery makes up for the lack of mileage. The 2 'point' trails lead out to nice vantage points overlooking the pond. It's frozen over now so there not much in the way of wildlife there now and although you could try to connect the 2 points by making a trail over the pond it's not allowed. The trails are mostly flat except for some gentle short runs through the Red Maple Swamp Trail. Right now there about 5" of snow on the open field trails and maybe 6-12" in the wooded areas, with some spots of bare ground (that you can step over) on the point trails. I't's a nice 45-60 minute tour if you cover all the trails once."
Charlestown: Nature Conservancy's Francis C. Carter Preserve. Description thanks to Steve Weiss on 2/17/2014:
"Skiing at the Nature Conservancy's Francis Carter Memorial Preserve, Rt. 112 in Charlestown, was great today! Especially considering it's in South County. I had to break trail, except where some snowshoes had been, but even that wasn't bad with the solid base under a few inches of nice snow. Park at the Elementary School (when school is not in session) and take the spur trail across the street." Steve also notes that "Carter Preserve is more backcountry skiing, not for novices. Some of the trails have steep sections, with sharp turns. I think that's fun but not everyone may agree."
Saunderstown: Bobby Chin sends this lovely shot that he took while skiing on Rome Point.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts
Seekonk: Caratunk Wildlife Refuge.
Hingham: Wompatuck State Park. Bill O'Hara reports that this mountain biking mecca provides a great ski option. He even skied the criterium (lap-style bicycle road race) course.
Bike Paths
Bike Paths
Bike paths are another option; RIDOT's bikeri site describes where they can be found. On 2/19/2013, WRNI Public Radio interviewed the Chief of Rhode Island State Parks, Robert Paquette about winter bike path maintenance. He said the state does not clear bike paths during the winter. “You know, people use them more for cross country skiing in the winter so we don’t plow them, liability reasons. We don’t use salt because a lot of them go to water areas. And so there are many different reasons why we don’t plow our bike paths.”
The South Country Bike Trail is apparently groomed, as shown in the picture below, taken 2/10/2014 by Alistair Cairns. (Also note the deer standing to the right of the path!) No idea who is grooming it, or how frequently, but let's hope they keep it up. Alistair says the grooming goes "for the first 3.5 miles from Kingston almost to Wakefield." No reports so far of other paths being groomed...
The good news about bike paths is that it takes very little snow to cover them, since there are no rocks and roots to worry about. The bad news is twofold. First, being nice, dark, black asphalt, the snow tends to melt quickly given much sun. And second, without sufficient snow, your poles will strike the pavement, which can be annoying. With enough snow (and preferably a nicely packed base) this problem goes away. In non-ideal conditions, you can combat the pole problem by skiing off to the side of the path whenever possible. Worst comes to worst, work on your balance and ski without poles for the stretches when the asphalt can't be avoided.
Just to prove that you can ski on a bike path, my friends Will and Melissa recently enjoyed a ski during their lunch hour at the Fred Lippitt Woonasquatucket River Bikeway that runs between Olneyville (Providence) and Johnston. They are pictured above down the trail. See comments above regarding Buttonhole Golf Course as an extension to this bike path in Providence.
About Skiing on Golf Courses
About Skiing on Golf Courses
The many golf courses around the state can be great fun to ski, with their gentle hills and long fairways. Just be prepared that since most courses don't have much in the way of trees to act as windbreaks, you'll be more exposed and will need to dress for more cold than you would when skiing a wooded trail.
Be aware that skis can damage a golf course, depending on the conditions. Todd Bechtel, superintendent at Buttonhole Golf Course, had this to say about skiing on his course:
"My first concern is the greens, which are at the top of just about every hill that you guys climb. ...with the present snow cover this is not an issue but when the snow does begin to melt, it's the ice under the snow that causes trouble. As this happens I will have to stop you guys from skiing, but until then please just stop in the Pro Shop for confirmation. We will be happy to allow you to enjoy yourselves all you want."
If you're willing to leave the state...
If you're willing to leave the state...
In addition, there are several larger, professionally groomed areas within easy driving distance. Here's a partial list. All these areas provide rental equipment and lessons, and they groom their trails for both classic and skate technique.
These commercial ski areas are within about two hours of Providence.
Weston Ski Track, Weston, MA. Just outside Rt. 128 near the Mass Pike. This 18 hole golf course is transformed into a ski area in winter, complete with snowmaking equipment and night skiing on a lighted loop.
Great Brook Ski Touring Center, northwest of Boston in Carlisle, MA, offers about 10 miles of trails. (NOTE: In 2021, due to Covid-19, Great Brook is not renting equipment.)
Northfield Mountain Ski Area, Northfield, MA. Just off I-91 near the MA/VT border. 40 km of trails.
Eastern Connecticut and Massachusetts (here are two sites with info: mass.gov and visit-massachusetts.com) offer skiing in many of their State Parks.
Further north are several great areas within just a few hours' drive in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine; these links go to clearinghouse-style web sites that should get you started looking at the options. Hut-to-hut skiing is even available in central Maine.
Check out these areas and feel free to post condition reports, or add information about other areas.
Other Resources
Other Resources
The Narragansett Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) runs classes for beginners, as well trips to nearby ski areas for skiers of varying abilities. Members can sign up to their email list to be informed about upcoming events, or visit their Facebook page. Search for ski-related activities here.
Pulaski Park Trail Closure
Pulaski Park Trail Closure
Notes from Paula Bissell (12/22/09):
"...the trails have been altered and cut short because of a private landowner. Not sure of the whole story but sounds like the state had given him a right of way over state land to get to his property. Now he's been turned down to develop his acreage and has in turn refused to let the trails go over a short portion of the road. Its gone to the legal dept of the state for what thats worth, to no avail. The part that's gated is on the Inner Border trail where the Hemlock Glen trail came out. So no more going around the pond."
Update (1/16/2011): The changes are more formalized, with the addition of barriers stating "one way" at the intersection of the Hemlock Glen and Inner Border Trails. No grooming is being done beyond the signs, but skiers still make their way around the barriers to head back to Peck Pond. To compensate for the loss of this groomed trail, park management has begun grooming the orange trail that runs between the Center Trail (yellow) and Hemlock Glen (red).
Update (2/1/2015): The large red gate blocking the trail leading back to Peck Pond was kept open all this weekend. We are hoping this is a permanent change!
Further information from Larry Mouradjian, Associate Director of Natural Resources at DEM, on 1/5/2010:
Please be advised that the trail was rerouted as a result of ownership rights of an abutting property owner who had allowed the state to offer a section of hiking and ski trail over his property. Over the years the state acknowledged the goodwill of our neighbor in documents and also secured a gate across Inner Border Trail to add additional area for winter recreational public use of this vehicular right of way. The removal of our well documented encroachments upon this private property results from prolonged and fruitless negotiations of a utility access easement over state property to service the development interest of the owner in exchange for a recreational use easement securing the established trail use and route as compensation. The private property insurer then also became problematic in the liability coverage requirements placed upon the owner regardless of protections afforded under https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE32/32-6/INDEX.htm to secure continued public use of private property. The department was left with no legal standing and without the capacity for eminent domain as a public taking. As a result, the Department was compelled to remove our encroachment off of private property and reroute the trail completely on state property. We have made a standing offer of interest to acquire this abutting property should the owner decide to sell. We appreciate the concerns of our constituents and hope this adjustment will not devalue the overall park experience offered by this first class cross country ski program and the dedicated efforts of staff.
Update (2/15/2021): Good news: after being blocked the last several years, the wooden barricade has been removed this season, and the gate has been left open. Though there is no grooming of this section, many people use it so the tracks are usually in good shape (except for some truck damage hear the "hot tub").
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