Escapees September-October 2023

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Take a Walk on New England’s First National Recreation Trail and Historic District Cli ff Walk in Rhode Island 117 Memorial Blvd, Newport, RI 02840, 401-845-5544, www.cli ff walk.com

mansion in Newport. Originally, Ochre Court was the summer home for Ogden Goulet, who spent six weeks a year in the home. In 1937, the family donated the home to the Roman Catholic Diocese, and then it was given to the Sisters of Mercy for $1.00. Today it serves as the administrative building for Salve Regina University. The most magni fi cent and impressive estate along the walk is The Breakers, which was designed for Commo dore Cornelius Vanderbilt. In 1972, the Preservation Society purchased the house from an heir. Today, the house is designated as a National Historic Landmark and is the most popular house to tour. Go to the front entrance to get tickets for all the mansion tours. The Marble House, also designed for the Vanderbilt family, is now a museum that is open for tours. There is a Chinese Tea House built on the cliffs on the same property. We walked the trail on weekdays in October, and it was somewhat busy. I imagine it would be quite busy in warmer seasons. Since there is hardly any shade, it’s not a walk to do in hot weather or in cold, windy weather. Parking for the north end entrance is on Memorial Boulevard, at Easton's Beach (41.488007 -71.292463), in a pay-by-plate machine lot which provides parking for up to 4 hours. It is a .3 mile walk to the trail head. There are also entrances at Narragansett Avenue by Forty Steps, Webster Street, Shepard Avenue and Ruggles Avenue. At Forty Steps, a pay-by-plate machine provides parking for up to four hours. It was more dif fi cult to fi nd parking at the south end, but, in October, we found free street parking on Rovensky Avenue (41.459276 -71.308023) which is permit-only parking May 1 to October 1. We could not fi nd any parking lots in that area. Information pamphlets suggest taking the trolley to the entrance points to avoid parking issues. Joyce Space #61818

Newport, Rhode Island is known for its mansions along Belleview Avenue, many of which can be toured. We did not take a tour but got to enjoy the outside view of many of them by walking the Cli ff Walk, an almost four-mile trail that lies between some of the mansions and the coast. I n 1975, the Cliff Walk was designated a National Recreation Trail, the fi rst in New England, and is unique because it is in a National Historic District. On the walk, there are 16 trail markers that describe various points of interest, mostly mansions. We used our phone to scan the QR codes to download more informa tion and history about each one. At the end of the walk and other access points, were brochures with a trail map and information. You can download this map at www. escapees.com/newportcliffwalk. The fi rst day, we went more than halfway before turning back. That was easy walking because the trail was paved and handicapped accessible. We had views of the coast, sandy beaches and mansions. The next day we started at the south end, which had paved sections, but much of it was rocky coast. The walk was somewhat challenging, but was much more scenic. We were “up close and personal” with the sea. Near the middle of the trail were two tunnels which were fun to walk through. Some highlights on the walk are Forty Steps at the end of Narraganset Avenue which will lead straight to the ocean. However, because of the rough, rocky shore, swimming is not recommended. The walk passes Salve Regina University, an extremely beautiful campus with architecturally signi fi cant buildings, such as Ochre Court, the second largest

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ESCAPEES Magazine September/October 2023