Tillinghast Pond is surrounded by a mix of deciduous and coniferous trees. It was managed as a cranberry bog once.

The Providence Journal / Tom Meade

Looking for a weekend getaway that really feels like a getaway but doesn’t involve a lot driving? The answer could be as close as West Greenwich. Or Exeter. Or Killingly, Conn.

They are among several rural communities within the Pawcatuck Borderlands. The area, in Connecticut and Rhode Island, is the largest continuous forest and farmland space between Boston and New York, according to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. A nighttime satellite view of the Borderlands reveals that it is the only strip of darkness between Washington, D.C., and Boston.

Moose, bears and bobcats are among a diverse population of wildlife thriving there. Mountain lions may live there, too. The 136,000-acre forest and watershed has miles and miles of sparkling streams, waterfalls and ponds. Outdoor enthusiasts will also find miles of hiking trails and backcountry roads that wind through some of the prettiest countryside in southern New England.

In West Greenwich, Tillinghast Pond and the land around it feel, smell and sound like the Berkshires. The farms and forest are charming and accessible, but the woods are still wild.

Tillinghast Pond and the land around it are the latest additions to the Borderlands’ public property. The Tillinghast Wildlife Management Area is managed cooperatively by The Nature Conservancy, the Town of West Greenwich and the DEM. They cooperated to buy the area in 2007. Now, the Nature Conservancy owns the land, and the other two partners have easements to use it.

The pond is surrounded by a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees. Beneath the water’s surface swim bass, pickerel and perch as well as a variety of reptiles and amphibians.

Tillinghast Pond is small and shallow enough to have been managed as a cranberry bog once. Now, the pond is part of the immense Borderlands area.

The Tillinghast area is surrounded by conservation land, owned by the state and the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, said Tim Mooney, the Nature Conservancy’s refuge manager at Tillinghast. “If you look at a map of the Borderlands,” he said, “this is the core of the mostly unbroken forest on the Rhode Island-Connecticut border.

“For the most part, the headwaters of the Wood River and the Pawcatuck River are right here.”

To the west of the Tillinghast Management Area, Connecticut’s Pachaug State Forest covers about 24,000 acres in six towns. It is connected to Rhode Island’s Arcadia Management Area in Exeter and the Ell and Long Ponds Natural Area in Hopkinton.

“Pachaug” is derived from the Indian term meaning bend or turn in the river, according to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. The Pachaug River, running from Beach Pond on the Rhode Island border to the Quinebaug River, flows through the center of the forest.

Members of the Narragansett, Pequot and Mohegan tribes inhabited the area until they were displaced by European colonists.

Old cellar holes and miles of stone walls are evidence that the entire forest was once cultivated or used as pasture. Water power fueled a mill industry as early as 1711. Now, nearly every stream has evidence of mill sites.

Ken Weber included 17 Borderlands hikes in his book, Walks & Rambles in Rhode Island, including one spanning the two states, to Green Falls. The falls pour over a dam at the top of Green Fall River ravine, its walls mossy green throughout the year.

The hike is only four miles long, but it requires some scrambling along steeply pitched ledges. Views of the falls and the ravine are worth the scramble.

Weber also included a hike to another waterfall, in Rhode Island’s Arcadia Management Area. The walk to Stepstone Falls is shorter and much easier than the hike to Green Falls.

Mike Parker, a member of the West Greenwich Land Trust, is scheduled to lead a hike with Steve and Patricia Wright’s llamas Sunday at 1 p.m. in West Greenwich. The llama walk, along the Tefft Nature Trail, is part of Earth Day celebrations at the Louttit Library in West Greenwich. The hike and other activities at the library are free and open to everyone. The library’s address is 274 Victory Highway (Rte. 102). More information is available online at wglandtrust.org.

Geoff Dennis, an expert birder and nature photographer, is scheduled to lead a springtime exploration looking for migrating and resident songbirds, at the Tillinghast Management Area, May 9 from 8 to 10 a.m. Wear sturdy hiking shoes and dress appropriately for the weather. The hike will be moderate and binoculars are recommended. The walk is free, but please register by contacting Jeanne Parente; e-mail jparente@tnc.org or call (401) 331-7110, ext 16 by May 1. Directions will be sent after registration.

tmeade@projo.com