John C. Whitehead Preserve

With an accessible boardwalk through diverse wetlands and forest, John C. Whitehead Preserve in Little Compton holds outdoor adventures that people of all ages and abilities can enjoy. The changing variety of plants and animals found here through the year will have you visiting this stunning Nature Conservancy preserve again and again.

Features

A child and adult on the boardwalk at John C. Whitehead Preserve in Little Compton. (Image: The Nature Conservancy)

Explorers of all ages can enjoy John C. Whitehead Preserve’s quiet forest from the Dundery Brook Trail boardwalk. (Image: The Nature Conservancy)

Discover a truly special place to explore in the woods, wetlands, and open meadows of John C. Whitehead Preserve. This preserve’s undisturbed habitats serves as an exceptional home for wildlife, but remains easy for anyone to explore thanks to an ADA-accessible boardwalk that connects to wide, flat trails. As you walk or hike, slow down to pay attention to your surroundings and tune your ear to the many bird calls echoing from the canopy above.

Trails

Three trails provide a range of options to explore at John C. Whitehead Preserve. An easy place to start is Dundery Brook Trail, an ADA-accessible boardwalk. This trail is 0.6 miles long and meanders through forest strewn with wetland. If you’re with kids, don’t miss the outdoor classroom about halfway down the trail, where young adventurers can learn about the habitat they’re exploring. (Download trail map)

Just before it turns east towards Bumblebee Pond, Dundery Brook Trail branches west to connect with Hope’s Path, a 0.7-mile trail that continues through forested wetland and around a number of small ponds. About halfway down the trail, you’ll cross over the waters of Dundery Brook by way of a lovely stone slab bridge. Hope’s Path ends at the Preserve’s western entrance along West Main Road.

If you continue past the entrance to Hope’s Path on Dundery Brook Trail, the path curves and becomes Blanche’s Path. This 0.6-mile trail enters Bumblebee Preserve, traversing along a wide, flat cart path. This trail follows along the curving edge of Bumblebee Pond, providing views of peaceful waters bordered by waving reeds, and passes through two open meadows. The trail ends at the northwest corner of the second meadow.

Habitats & Wildlife

Stroll the trails at John C. Whitehead Preserve at any time of year, and you’re almost guaranteed to encounter wildlife. That’s thanks to the large tract of undisturbed forest and wetland community it protects, dominated by old oaks, beech trees, and tupelo in the center. Red maple and shrub wetlands flourish among the trees and along the forest edges. These streams and wetlands make Whitehead Preserve a particularly good place to look for amphibians, from choruses of spring peepers to wood frogs, green frogs, gray tree frogs, spotted turtles, and snapping turtles. In the winter, you may spot otter and fisher cats hunting and cavorting in these streams.

Its variety of protected habitat also makes John C. Whitehead Preserve a haven for birds. Great horned owl hunt here in the winter, and American woodcock perform their acrobatic mating flights above as winter gives way to spring. The boardwalk provides a fantastic place to watch for spring songbirds, from warblers to vireo to bright Baltimore orioles. In Bumblebee Pond, look for migratory ducks in the winter and slow-stalking green heron in the summer.

Property Owned By

Founded in 1951, The Nature Conservancy is a global nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, TNC creates innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world's toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together.

Details
Size: 168 acres
Hours: One hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset
Parking: Large unpaved parking area next to the soccer field on Meetinghouse Lane; medium-sized unpaved parking area along West Main Road, just north of intersection with Treaty Rock Rd.
Trail Difficulty: Easy
Dogs: No
Facilities: Boardwalk, Trash
Boat Ramp: No
ADA Accessible: Yes

Please follow all posted rules and regulations at this property.

Address & Contact Information
29 Meetinghouse Ln.
Little Compton, RI 02837
41.509444, -71.178978
The Nature Conservancy in Rhode Island: (401) 331-7110
Email: ri@tnc.org

Please follow all posted rules and regulations at this property.

John C. Whitehead Preserve
Little Compton, RI
View larger map

Related Stories

13 great places to explore while social distancing

You need more than six feet of space between people to follow today’s social distancing guidelines from public health authorities. Lucky for us, we’ve got acres of fresh air, peaceful wooded trails, spirit-restoring beaches, and bracing breezes in abundance here around Buzzards Bay.

Full Story ›
Must-Do Scenic Bike Rides on the South Coast

Be sure to add Sunday, October 6th to your calendar, and cross the Buzzards Bay Watershed Ride off of your biking bucket list!

Full Story ›
Gooseberry Study Update – Year 3 will bring some answers, and they can’t come soon enough for our rapidly changing coastline

Year 3 of the Gooseberry Study will bring some answers, and they can’t come soon enough for our rapidly changing coastline.

Full Story ›

Upcoming Events Near Here

Buzzards Bay Watershed Ride
Sun, October 06
Sakonnnet Point to Woods Hole,
Falmouth
Buzzards Bay Coalition Golf Tournament
Fri, October 18
12:30PM - 7:00PM
The Bay Club,
Mattapoisett

Nearby Places To Go

Wilbour Woods

Explore lush trails beside a woodland river, then grill up a picnic lunch in this beautiful Little Compton forest.

Simmons Mill Pond Management Area

Known for its educational signs, this Little Compton reserve is popular among hunters, hikers, paddlers, and curious young explorers.

P.T. Marvell Preserve

Discover a coastal ecosystem rich with native plants, birds, and butterflies from the meadows and observation platform of this Little Compton preserve.

Current Issues

Land Conservation

Conserving land is one of the most important ways to protect clean water in Buzzards Bay. Since 1998, the Coalition has forever preserved more than 7,000 acres of land across our region.

Read More ›
19
out of 100