Snowshoeing at F. Gilbert Hills State Forest - January 31, 2026

Warner Trail

I’ve been nursing a sore knee for a couple of months, so I probably should have skipped this trip. Then again, conditions were just about perfect, and it was only a half-hour from my house, so I made a last-minute decision to join Papa Joe and the crew for a snowshoe hike at the F. Gilbert Hills State Forest.

The F. Gilbert Hills State Forest (previously known as Foxboro State Forest) is a 1,000-acre site with 23-miles of trails in the towns of Foxborough and Wrentham. It is adjacent to the Harold B. Clark Town Forest to the north, and connects to Wrentham State Forest to the west. The park is also part of the 30-mile Warner Trail that stretches from Sharon to Diamond Hill.

Queued up to break the trail

We met near the Southeastern Massachusetts Emergency Communications Center (SEMRECC) at 100 High Rock Rd, Wrentham, MA 02093. The temperature was around 3-degrees when we headed out, but it got up to around 19-degrees by the time we finished. No one was cold – snowshoeing is a good workout.

We we did a 2.3-mile loop down a section of the Warner Trail that includes the Stone Staircase (one of many structures built by the Civil Conservation Corps in the 1930’s), then over to Sunset Ledge, and finally over to the shelter near High Rock before returning to the cars. Conditions were perfect - nice light powdery snow. It was a great trip, even if my knee was a little sore at the end.

The crew near High Rock

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F. Gilbert Hills State Forest

F. Gilbert Hills Trail Map

Warner Trail
Warner Trail Guidebook

Introduction to Canoe Camping - January 18, 2026

I was glad to be one of the presenters at the NH/AMC’s Introduction to Canoe Camping. The session was focused on paddlers interested in moving into wilderness tripping. Presentations included Trip Planning and Organization (Jonathan), Necessary Skills (Bob), Boats and Paddling Gear (me), Camping Gear (Deb), and Food and Cooking (Cathy). In addition, several presenters did presentations on their favorite trips (I did the Connecticut River), and there was a Show and Tell table where folks could see and ask questions about gear. It was a great session, and very well received.

Providence - January 10, 2026

After a long cold spell, the forecast was for warming temperatures this weekend. I decided to take my kayak to the Providence River and paddle from Bold Point up to the Cove at the Providence Place Mall. I was in the boat on the water when I realized that I forgot my camera in the car, so this is the only picture that I got. You'l have to trust me - I really did paddle.

The camping trip that wasn't to be - January 3, 2026

Getting ready to launch

How many days with temps in the teens does it take to freeze a river? Based on this weekend’s experience, the answer is three.

For the past couple of years (2023, 2024), we have been doing a winter overnight trip at the Burlingame Canoe Campsites. It’s been a lot of fun, and this year we had nine joining in, with one coming from as far away as NY.

In past years, the temperatures have mild (days in the 30’s to 40's, nights in the 20’s to 30's), but this year we were having a cold snap. Day time highs were in the 20's, and night time lows were in the teens. Average temperatures had been in the 20’s for a couple of weeks, which is unusual for RI. We did ask JD to check the river for ice on Wednesday, and he reported that the put in was ice-free. It's tough to see much else from the river bank.

The river is iced in

When we arrived at Bradford Landing on Saturday morning the put in was open, but it was solid ice down to the Bradford Dam. There was an open channel upstream so we loaded our boats and headed out. We didn’t get far. We paddled upstream a couple of hundred yards and found the river frozen solid – a good half-inch of ice for as far as you could see. No way we were getting through that.

We paddled back to the put in to try to figure out our options. Was there a different section of the river that wouldn’t be iced-in - nope. Was there a campground or picnic area nearby that wasn’t closed for the season – nope. Unfortunately, we were out of luck. Best we could do was a picture at Alton Landing and lunch at a nearby restaurant – Cornerstone Pub in Exeter.  

The crew at Alton Landing

Getting skunked earned me a new poem from Tom.

From a Burlingame to a curling game,

canoes might glide on ice,

but getting swept away

paddles not brooms in play,

pack-it-in's the hully roller's advice.

(On the rocks at the Cornerstone plays nice)

TW

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