Wooden Horse Carousel

Two letterboxes in a stunning seaside setting. Difficulty: 3 miles of
beach slogging (worth every step) and mile of resort town cottage
lanes. The hardest part of this hike may be finding parking in the
summer season (we suggest you come at sunrise and walk with the
locals before the summer hordes, or else park at the airport and bike
in).

Watch Hill is the quintessential Rhode Island summer resort. Located
in the far south western corner of the state, arrive via I95 or Rte.
1 through Westerly.

Begin near the famous carousel and walk westwards 1 miles out to the
end of Napatree Point, following the southern shore with Long Island
Sound on your left. At the tip of the point you'll come across an old
rocky jetty. Cut inland on shrubby overgrown trails to
discover...!!!...

Explore and then continue northwest to a second, smaller discovery.
In the far northwest corner looking out over Little Narragansett Bay,
peek under the smooth sloping edge for the Napatree Point Letterbox.
(Sorry if the trails are much more overgrown in summer and fall than
they were when we planted the letterbox on a blustery winter day with
snow crunching underfoot.)

Now return to the carousel and turn right, southeast, on the road.
Just up the hill, turn right at #2 onto a beautiful side street
between signs that say "Private Road, Walkers Welcome." Walk down to
the lighthouse, through the gate, and bear left for a clockwise tour
of the breakwater and the light. The rocky southern shore of the
point is easy walking. After you round the point and head back, the
shore is a little more broken up, but still makes for wonderful
beachcombing. Walking eastwards again, come across an old stone jetty
on your left that points 340 towards Napatree Point. Turning your
back on it, walk the reciprocal bearing, directly in line with the
jetty, to find the Watch Hill Light Letterbox under a flat piece of
ridged concrete. This spot, too, may get a little overgrown in summer.

Now for a ride on that carousel!