For outdoor enthusiasts, Westerly has just about everything: hiking, biking, surfing and more.

Much of these activities are available throughout the year, but winter is a great time to be outdoors there.

Even as late as Christmas Day, two die-hard surf fishermen were casting for striped bass at the Weekapaug Breachway.

Up-current, a pair of juvenile common loons was hunting. And outside the Breachway, surfers were searching for that perfect wave to ride.

Thanks to the generosity of the Westerly Land Trust along with state and local governments, about 2,000 acres of land, miles of beach and long stretches of the Pawcatuck River have been preserved for everyone to enjoy.

Here are some postcards from places to visit.

Napatree Point is a wonderful ramble1

With views of three states and two lighthouses, a walk out to Napatree Point is priceless.

From the parking lot in Watch Hill, the walk along the beach to the point takes about 30 minutes. That’s at low tide when the footing is firm near the water.

The walk starts in Watch Hill which offers limited parking in the summer, so if you go during tourist season, plan to make the walk at dawn or at night when there is a full moon.

During the other three seasons, there is ample parking. And the beach is even more spectacular because of the presence of wildflowers, migrating birds in spring and fall, butterflies in August and September, and the absence of crowds.

During the winter, you may have the beach to yourself.

Park your car at the end of the largest parking lot in Watch Hill, near the Watch Hill Yacht Club. Between the chain-link fence and the harbor is a path. If the wind is off the ocean, you can walk along the harbor side to the point.

To walk along the beach, take a sharp left turn soon after the chain-link fence and climb the dune along one of the paths with signs warning about ticks. (They aren’t kidding; there are lots of ticks in the dunes.) Please stay on a path to prevent dune erosion.

At the top of the path, with the surf below, pause to take in the view.

To the left is Watch Hill Light in Rhode Island; you can take a walk over there later. To the right, in the distance, is Latimer Light in Connecticut. The island in front of you is Fishers Island, and it’s in New York. The water is Long Island Sound.

The walk to the point is about 1.5 miles along the beach. At the point, the footing becomes rocky. There used to be a road out here to Fort Mansfield, in operation from 1901 to 1909, part of a series of forts on the Sound, designed to protect New York City.

After the fort was sold and demolished, houses were built on the spit of land leading to the point. The hurricane of 1938 destroyed the houses and killed 15 people. It was horrific, as the storm swept unprepared residents into the water.

If you want to climb the rocks and go around the point, you can return to Watch Hill by walking along Little Narragansett Bay.

During the summer, here, the air is filled with the fragrance of beach roses. During the fall, foragers collect the Vitamin-C rich rose hips to make jam and rose-hip tea, delicious with local honey.

The autumn dunes are aflame with brilliant stands of goldenrod. On the Sound in autumn, striped bass and bluefish are migrating, attracting anglers from all over the east coast and as far away as London.

Fall is the favorite season of bird watchers, too. They can see more than 100 hawks, representing several species, at Napatree Point on a good day.

Back in Watch Hill, most of the restaurants close for the winter, but nearby on Route 1A, The Cooked Goose is open year-around, seven days a week, serving incredibly delicious soups and sandwiches, reasonably priced, with wine, beer or soft drinks. The restaurant also has an amazingly diverse customer base, from wealthy Watch Hill ladies to boat-yard workers. In the morning, it serves fishermen who have been casting on the beach through the previous night.

The anglers are hungry: They have made the round-trip hike to Napatree Point wearing heavy, chest-high wading boots.

The walk is priceless.

Great places to hike, snowshoe or cross-country ski1

The Westerly Land Trust and the state Department of Environmental Management (DEM) have preserved hundreds of acres of woodland, riverfront, and beachfront for everyone to enjoy in Westerly.

There are several great places to hike, snowshoe or cross-country ski. Here are some highlights:

Avondale Farm Preserve: Owned by the land trust, the 50-acre property features a coastal sand plain with ponds and tidal inlets, covered by native grasses. A paved road loops through the preserve. It’s ideal for walking, jogging, bikes or wheelchairs. Birders love the spot, too, according to the land trust’s web site, www.westerlylandtrust.org. Parking is off Quail Road, which is off Watch Hill Road.

Dr. John Champlin Glacial Park: The 134-acre preserve is a beautiful place to walk, a refuge from Westerly’s nearby industries and retail-shopping strip. Its massive boulders offer insight into New England’s topography sculpted by the melting glacier. There are ponds, sand barrens and ridges overlooking Winnapaug Pond, Block Island Sound, and Block Island. The preserve is adjacent to and just east of the Winnapaug Cottages development on Tom Harvey Road. There are trails throughout the preserve; they are marked by white blazes from the Tom Harvey Road entrance and blue blazes for the southern loop off Shore Road. The land trust’s web site has a downloadable photo map of the area and its trails. The map also shows places to park.

Woody Hill Management Area: Preserved by the DEM, Woody Hill is virtually unused, except during deer-hunting season. Limited parking probably keeps hikers away. The management area covers a total of 819 acres. It is 91 percent forested, consisting of deciduous forest, evergreen forest, and 225 acres of mostly hardwood swamp. Ancient stone walls wind through the property along cart paths. Woody Hill Marsh is a man made impoundment, covering 14.4 acres. The area abounds with wildlife. It is accessible from Woody Hill Road, off Rte. 1 (near McDonald’s), and also off Rte. 91 in the Bradford section of town. Maps are available on the web site www.rihunts.com by clicking on “wma’s.”

The Grills Preserve: Part of the land trust’s Pawcatuck River Corridor, the 482-acre property protects more than 2.5 miles of river frontage. The area’s trails are old roads, ideal for hiking, jogging, biking, and snow-shoeing, and the view from Big Hill is delightful. There is parking and trail access off Bowling Lane. During the warm months, bring a fishing rod and a fishing license to catch stocked trout. Maps of the area are available on the land trust’s web site www.westerlylandtrust.org.

Riverwood Preserve: Also a part of the Pawcatuck River Corridor, the 148-acre property has a variety of trails, all blazed. The lower trail has white marks; the trail over the top has blue marks, and the connecting trails have green marks. Access is limited because parking space is scarce. Park at the end of Boy Scout Drive, and walk past the Boy Scout camp to enter the preserve.

Watch Hill winter walk1

The landmark Watch Hill Light was constructed in 1856. The first lighthouse was built in 1808.

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The Providence Journal / Tom Meade

Winter is the best time for a walk in Watch Hill. The village is like a ghost town then. A charming ghost town.

A walker can select a variety of routes, from a little more than a mile long to several miles by extending the route to include the village of Avondale. You can also walk along the water from East Beach in Watch Hill to Misquamicut.

Start in the large parking lot at the Watch Hill Yacht Club, and enjoy the view; winter is the only season when you will see this much parking space. Or look out to the harbor. Normally as flat as a mirror, the scenic cove on Little Narragansett Bay can be churning during the winter. During the storm on New Year’s Eve, the little cove was raging with wind and seas.

For a short, scenic hike, leave the parking lot by turning right toward the Flying Horse Carousel. Then turn left up a slight hill on Larkin Road. On the right, find a narrow road, marked by a pair of red signs warning cars to stay out unless they are being driven by someone who is disabled or older than 65.

That’s the road to Watch Hill Light, one of Rhode Island’s most stately aids to navigation. The walk to the light is between .2 and .3 miles, downhill, along a winding, narrow road. It is smooth enough for a wheelchair or stroller. Just before the lighthouse gate, stop at the big yellow house on the right, and note the beautiful garden fence and trellis, made of twigs, Adirondack style. (During the summer, the lovely fence surrounds a cook’s garden that will make your mouth water.)

The original Watch Hill Light was built in 1808, on the orders of Thomas Jefferson. It was replaced in 1856 with the current granite block tower.

From the lighthouse, you can see Fishers Island, N.Y., Stonington, Conn., and Block Island. From May to November, the rocky shore around the lighthouse is a refuge for striped bass and a gathering place for anglers from all over the Northeast.

Returning from the light, turn right onto Larkin Road, then immediately turn left onto Bluff Avenue. Notice the Ocean House Hotel, being rebuilt on the shore to your right.

Bear right onto Westerly Road. (Many of the street signs are missing here, but bear right to keep the ocean on your right.)

Look to the left for the sign on the corner of Everett Avenue. Turn right there, and walk down to a public right of way to the beach. When you reach the water, look left — that’s east –– toward Misquamicut or right toward Watch Hill Light. Because the lighthouse is to the west, this is the spot to take dramatic photos of the lighthouse silhouetted by the setting sun.

Walking the beach to the east will give you an aerobic workout unless you decide to dawdle, hunting for beach glass.

If you leave the beach the way you entered, you can cross Westerly Road, walk along Everett Avenue, and turn left at the T-junction to return to your car. Along the way, notice the statue of Ninigret, chief of the Niantic Indians, with fish along the harbor on the right. Farther along, notice the statue of a boy gazing out on the water.

During spring, summer, and autumn, the Olympia Tea Room, across the street from the parking lot, serves contemporary American and European cuisine, braced by a 2,000-bottle wine cellar. Most of the restaurants in the village close during the cold months. The Cooked Goose on Watch Hill Road is open for breakfast and lunch through the year.

An ideal stroll through Wilcox Park1

No matter what the season, Wilcox Park in Westerly is a nice place to go for a walk. The 14-acre park is located in the center of town, across from Town Hall.

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The Providence Journal / Sandor Bodo

Skates and scooters are prohibited in Westerly’s Wilcox Park. And even though visitors may encounter joggers there, the mile of paved paths was designed for strolling, says Sarah Johnson, assistant horticulturist in the 14-acre park.

During the summer, Johnson worked with park director Alan Peck, planting and maintaining the park’s arboretum, meadow, flower gardens, and a pond shared by ducks, fish, amphibians and lotus blossoms.

On New Year’s Day, dozens of youngsters on sleds flew down the park’s highest hill, covered with newly fallen snow.

Wilcox Park is private property, says Johnson. It is owned by the Memorial and Library Association of Westerly. Most of the land was donated in 1898 by Harriet Wilcox in memory of her husband, Stephen Wilcox.

Starting with two farms, the park was designed by Warren H. Manning, a former associate of Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of New York’s Central Park and Boston’s “Emerald Necklace.”

Wilcox Park lies in the center of town, behind the library, across from Westerly Town Hall.

“The park presents different images depending on how it is approached,” says the Project for Public Spaces, a national group. “If entering from the steps of Westerly Town Hall, (itself an impressive granite building), one gets the impression of a formalistic Baroque park, complete with statuary and a fountain. Elsewhere, however, the park has meandering paved paths and the feel of a less formal English garden.”

“We feel it’s important to maintain the tone of a Victorian strolling park,” says Johnson. Generally, the park is a quiet place except for the laughter of children as they climb atop the statue of the Runaway Bunny. The Bunny is one of several sculptured pieces in the park, including a monument to women, a Spanish-American War “Hiker,” a statue of Christopher Columbus and others.

The park’s fountain, near the library, is a monument to Harriet and Stephen Wilcox. During the heat of summer, mothers dip their toddlers’ feet in the cool water, but, usually, the fountain is a quiet place to rest or read.

Johnson, the horticulturist, is also a licensed arborist. She describes her job as “varied and wonderful.”

She and Peck care for about 500 trees in Wilcox Park, including some unusual specimens such as a variegated maple. But, Johnson says, even an ordinary Norway maple possesses its own story and beauty.

Asked about her favorite trees in the park, she answers, “That’s like asking a mother which is her favorite child. I love them all. Each one is so beautiful, it speaks for itself.”

The trees and shrubs of Wilcox Park offer four seasons of sensory excitement.

Delicious scents first appear in the dead of winter when two varieties of witch hazel begin to bloom. Then, long before the other flowers of spring appear, an exceptionally fragrant variety of honeysuckle explodes near the park’s pond. Its scent is so delightful that taxonomists named it Lonicera fragrantissima.

During the heat of summer, perennial flower gardens burst with shimmering color.

The trees are alive with a full palette of colors beginning with the canary-yellow blossoms on ornamental cherry trees near the Christopher Columbus statue in early spring. They’re followed by an elegant display of crab-apple blossoms. Summer is all about a hundred shades of green. Vivid red and golden hues illuminate maples in autumn. During early and mid-winter, the park is brightened by evergreen boughs and the colorful trunks of London plain trees and interesting birches.

Wilcox Park is an ideal place for a stroll.

Nature1

On Sunday, explore Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge with a Winter Waterfowl Walk.

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The providence Journal / JOHN FREIDAH

Audubon Society of Rhode Island Programs. 949-5454, ext. 3041; www.asri.org. Sat. Advance registration.

•Animal Tracks and Signs: Part I, Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, 12 Sanderson Rd., Smithfield. Let an Audubon naturalist be your guide to identifying animal tracks and other signs of our native mammals and birds. Explore track patterns, investigate artifacts and try your hand at making plaster tracks to take home. Venture out on the trails to search for evidence of wild things that have passed through the area. Noon-2 pm. Dress for the weather. Adult/child pair $15, $8 each additional person; members $10 adult/child pair, $5 each additional person. Part II, Jan. 17, 1-3 pm, at the Fort Nature Refuge, Providence Pike (Route 5) North Smithfield. Look for signs of life, from animal tracks, to tunnels and deer rubs, and learn how to tell who has been in the woods. Adult/child pair $15, $8 each additional person; members $10 adult/child pair, $5 each additional person. Discount for those who sign up for Parts I and II.

•Drop-In Activities: Skins and Skulls, Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, 12 Sanderson Rd., Smithfield. Nature activities for families, featuring touch tables, crafts, live animals; exploration of various nature topics and seasonal changes. 10:30 am-noon. Free.

•Winter Explorations, Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge, Pardon Joslin Road, Exeter. Quiet winter exploration of the woods and fields of the refuge with an Audubon naturalist. Discover the stillness and beauty of nature in winter while looking for animal tracks in the snow, otters playing on the frozen pond, signs of beaver and more. 10-11:30 am. Meet at the kiosk in the parking lot. Dress for the weather. $12, children $6; members $8, $4. Ages 8+.

Rhode Island Wild Plant Society Meeting and Program, North Kingstown Free Library, 100 Boone St., North Kingstown. 789-7497; www.riwps.org. Guest speaker Leslie Duthie discusses Propagation Techniques for Native Plants. Learn the ins and outs of propagating native plants, from ferns to wildflowers, to native trees and shrubs. Lecture covers seed and spore collection, storage, time and temperature for germination and hardwood and softwood cuttings. Native plants are generally easy to grow and some basic techniques are sufficient for propagating many different kinds of plants. Attendees are encouraged to bring their questions on those plants they find difficult to grow. Business meeting, 1 pm; refreshments and fellowship, 1:30 pm; program, 2 pm. Sat. Free; no registration required.

Trustees of Reservations Guided Winter Adaptations Walk, Watuppa Reservation Headquarters, 2929 Blossom Rd., Fall River. (508) 679-2115, ext. 11. Explore the amazing adaptations that help living things survive the coldest months of the year. Sat 9-11 am. Free. For all ages.

Winter Birding Weekend, Norman Bird Sanctuary, 583 Third Beach Rd., Middletown. 846-2577; www.normanbirdsanctuary.org. Expert birders Jay Manning and Lauren Miller lead this three-day eco-tour which features visits to birding hotspots throughout the region. Fri 4 pm-Sun 11 am. Winter Birding Weekend $110; Winter Rarities Day Trip (Saturday only) $75, members $60. Includes Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast and lunch, Sunday brunch. Hotel accommodations arranged through NBS and are available for an additional fee. Advance registration.

•Fri: Evening Owl Prowl on sanctuary grounds followed by a catered dinner and wildlife lecture.

•Sat: Winter Rarities Day Trip. Visit birding hotspots throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

•Sun: Explore Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge with a Winter Waterfowl Walk.

Seagrave Observatory, 47 Peep Toad Rd., North Scituate. www.theskyscrapers.org. Open for viewing, weather permitting. Sat 8-10 pm.

Wolf Moon Hike, New Dawn Earth Center, 75 Wrentham Rd., Cumberland. 333-1341; www.newdawnearthcenter.org. Participants will hike under a nearly full wolf moon, practice coyote and owl calls, listen to sounds of the night, listen to a wolf story and warm up with hot drinks. Fri-Sat 6:30-8 pm. Donation $5, family $18. Advance registration.