Caratunk Wildlife Refuge Trail

Nice easy trail for a walk after work. Saw a few fishers on the trail so hikers keep an eye out.

excellent trail, well maintained, great birding, ponds, bog and streams. some rare plants and old forests.

Nice trail!

About 4 different trails along this one and it is really muddy. I got lost in this trail ;)

Great trails, I'm there all the time, but I started my run today and someone outside yelled at me to stop because it's disruptive. So because this is a walking only trail, the trail running tag should probably be removed. It's a shame, I enjoy running that loop but rules is rules.

Look forward to going again! Well kept, trails marked well!

Well marked trails.

Fun easy walking trails. Bring waterproof boots if you go anywhere up a week after a rainstorm

loved it. Bet it's beautiful in the summer.

Very peaceful and well kept trails, but pets are not welcome. Bring your tick \ bug spray, this is a wetlands area.

got lost. need better markings. nice uphill walk. nice views

WARNING: HEAVY POISON ivy along most trails.

great trails! some closed. good amount of flooding right now. moderate for kids. easy for adults. Lots of wildlife. great winding along the river. we loved it. saw turtles (sun and snapping), geese, ducklings, spiders, birds, and snakes. our son loved it.

beautiful scenery! great for watching birds. we saw a red tailed hawk that didn't mind us watching! even saw a little grass snake.

Flooded a bit from recent rain storms, but very nice hike. Took my 3 year old son and he hiked the whole red trail including green trail.

Nice walk

Pretty hike, nothing too hard

Very nice trail and great for kids to explore. Pleasant old stone walls and water make it a little extra intriguing. I did this with my 2 and 5 year olds who enjoyed the hike!

Beautiful well marked trails. Lots to discover for the kids.

nice trail good marking

Nice trails.I thought they were pretty well marked.Not too strenuous which is great if you have kids.Very picturesque.

Overall, this was a very pleasant hike. Mostly flat trails with a few steep inclines and some areas which were a bit tricky to traverse due to recent wet weather.

As an artist, I was appreciative of a lot of eye candy... A scenic overlook, quaint foot bridges and picturesque trails abound.

On the downside, the trail markets were very confusing... Sometimes downright poor or lacking altogether. I was thankful for the fact I could get a good signal and was able to use my gps to get back on track when the right direction wasn't clear.

There is a lot of variety at Caratunk. I go there for small family hikes as well as half-day hikes along the more advanced trails.

Caratunk is also a hidden gem for birding, and I have spotted all typical New England birds here including several varieties of woodpeckers, blue and green heron, hawks, geese, wild turkeys, kinglets, even seagulls.

There are a lot of deer and squirrels in these woods, and I have also spotted woodchucks, snakes, otters, chipmunks and all other manner of spiders, beetles, and butterflies, etc.

Of course lots of deer is a sure sign of ticks; and my first experience getting bitten by a tick happened here after taking a break at the observation post. Please take precautions and be weary of these little parasites!

The red trail is a great introduction and offers you a short hike over a waterfall into a pine forest. This is a great hike for kids and a great way to get to know the place. The lake loop is also a great beginner hike/birding trail.

Eventually you can wander off onto the yellow trail for more advanced loops and hiking. The geology of this area is amazing and very well highlighted in the rock walls and formations along this trail and its loops.

For the experienced beginner, or the intermediate day hiker, cross the meadow and follow the signs to the blue trail/powerlines. This will eventually loop back to the yellow trail and back home. Along the way you will have the option of taking the bog hemlock loops beyond the lines, eventually returning back across. I would not recommend these loops in wet weather as they are prone to flooding.

Gate opens at seven until sunset typically.
Enjoy!

Nice easy hike.

Completed this hike this morning (10/4/15). Nice set of trails. Picked up a color coded map just inside the side door of the barn in the parking lot. It can be found online too. I didn't have too much trouble following the trails. Did about 5 miles including just about all the trails and did some sections twice. Saw 2 sets of deer early on. One set near the beginning of the Red trail off a side spur and one when first entering the power lines section of the Blue trail in the open field. Most of the trails are flat, do have to watch your footing in some areas, but overall pretty easy. Not a remote area but worth a visit!

Very pleasant first hike. Beautiful scenery and well marked. The only wildlife I saw, other then birds, was a small snake slithering across the trail in front of me. We exchanged pleasantries before he continued on.

I hiked there around 7/24/15. All of the trails were well marked and maintained. The scenery was nice and there were several trail paths to choose from.

My husband and I decided to try this out today, for the most part the trails are marked pretty well, for the most part, but there are some spots where you will be guessing, we did have to stop and figure where we were a couple of times. When you get to the power lines you will not see any more blue markers, for a bit, we did back track a couple of times, the map really isn't all that helpful. So when you come up to the power lines, this is the blue trail, go to your left and go up a bit you will see the blue marker on your right. It's nice easy, flat trails, very easy, but nice little hike in the woods, we went 3.14 miles, not quite sure where they figured it is 4.5 miles, and we even had to back track a couple of times.

I'm probably saying the same thing that all the others are saying....awful map, awful trail markings. You better take along some type of electrical device so you don't go back the way you came. Or, stay on the red trail for a quick hike. Someone was having fun with paint when they marked up these trees.

I've been going to this nature reserve for many many years.
It is beautiful and out of the way. I hardly ever see anyone else hiking while I'm there. The trails are very easy and direct. It's relatively short compared to other trails. Beautiful stream and river. Also there are small bridges over the muddy sections.
Make sure you bring bug spray! It's near a stream and a lake so it gets buggy!

We hiked the trails here a few times with the Audubon Society of RI, and while they tend to be muddy in the spring or after even light rain, they provide a nice hike overall.