Beavertail State Park, Rhode Island

Beavertail State Park is my favorite place in Rhode Island though it is just edged out by Bluff Point State Park in Groton, Connecticut for my favorite place in the area. The park is spectacular. Located on a peninsula at the end of the island of Jamestown, there are captivating 270 degree views of the Narragansett Bay from the point, and the rocky coast in both breathtaking and geologically interesting. Two different rock formations meet here near the Beavertail Fault and evidence of them slowly sliding past each other over the course of eons is easily observable. Because both ancient deposits were rhythmically bedded, each layer of the rock can be seen as well as where it was then cut and folded along the fault line. Even if you have no interest in geology, the result is stunning. I adore climbing the rocks along the coast line here and always spend hours exploring the hidden treasures whenever I go.

The park also contains the third oldest lighthouse on the east coast, originally built in 1749, a small historical museum, WWII-era Fort Burnside, and even a tiny “aquarium,” with a dozen tanks filled with local marine life. All of these, in addition to the inland trails, are well worth exploring (particularly if the day of your visit coincides with the lighthouse tower being open for climbing), but it is the rugged shore and the wild surf that enthrall me here.