Newport Cliff Walk

The legal right to walk this shore traces back to 1663, when a royal charter guaranteed Rhode Island colonists access to the coastline. That right has been contested ever since — landowners erected fences and walls, storms tore sections away, and a 20-foot stretch collapsed as recently as 2022. The walk runs 3.5 miles, designated a National Recreation Trail and the first of its kind in New England. About two-thirds is easy going. The southern half is not — abrupt drops, scrambling over rock, poison ivy. Come anyway.