Pelloni Preserves: Hopkinton RI

On the morning of Veterans day I decided to check out a new (to me) preserve in Hopkinton RI. Located between Collins Rd and Diamond Hill RD in Hopkinton is Pelloni Preserves. It was a crisp cool November day, all of the leaves have fallen off the trees and there is a lot of leaf litter on the trails.

Parking for the preserves is located off of Collins RD on a side street called Cedar Knoll Lane. The parking area is well marked from the Hopkinton Land Trust. The parking is located in between two homes.

Here's the map: pelloni preserves

Wide unmarked paths!

This is a small hiking area and the trails are mainly double


ride trails. It offers some nice views of the Tomoquag valley and some interesting rock formations. There are lots of beech, maples and oak trees.

The trails could be marked a little better. There were many times I was wondering if I was actually on a marked trail or if I got off the trail onto one made by a teenage dirt biker. Many of the trails I used ended up with a 'private property' sign, or I ended up in someone's backyard.

The most interesting this that happened to me: I was hiking along a ridge. One my left was a higher elevation and too my right was the valley. I heard some running uphill to my right and as soon as I turned my head, 4 female deer ran around me. They were so close I could have touched them. I then turn towards my left to see what they were running from and over the hill came a 5 point buck. He stopped when he saw me, lifted his head and grunted a few times. He then walked in front of me about 20 feet.

Pelloni Preserves is a nice short hike. There are some interesting features, but I wouldn't make any special trips to it. I would combine this hike with some of the other hiking paths locally and make a day of hiking in Hopkinton. This area would be very good for trail running!

Located on Old Truck trail!