Jerimoth Hill

Overview

Jerimoth Hill is the highest point in Rhode Island. It is hardly a mountain, but is of interest to Highpointers.

Jerimoth Hill had once been the most restrictive state high point. The owners had only kept open it to the public only 5-times a year on open access days. In some cases, they shot at people who tried to highpoint any other day. Brown University owned it starting in 2012 and as of October 2014, the highpoint and the access road to it is owned by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s public lands.  Previously access was 8am to 6pm, but others have reported it is open all the time, and that may be the case now that it is owned by the State of Rhode Island.  If anyone finds there is a restriction, let me know.

The highpoint area is attractive, as is this part of Rhode Island, with lakes and verdant trees along the road. The summit is a large rock about 200 yards from the road, (ie. less than a 5 minute walk over flat ground. You only gain about 10 feet from the trailhead.) It would be about 250 feet if you started at the bottom of "the hill" by the Alvia Chase Reservoir, still in Connecticut.

Getting There

Jerimoth Hill is about an hour or so south of Boston, Massachusetts. The summit is off of Rhode Island Route 101. To get there, you would take I-395 to the 101 exit near East Killingly, Connecticut. Take route 101 East until you pass a small lake, below a big hill, and go to the top of the hill and there is a small sand parking area on the left, and the highpoint is across the road, on the right. In 2005, the Highpointers Club built a short trail to the summit, that you can take from the parking area to the summit.

Red Tape

As of October 2014, the access road and the summit is owned by the State of Rhode Island and has guaranteed access to the highpoint without having to cross private land. Access is still available from 8am to 6pm every day and with the new ownership it may just be open all the time.  There are still nearby property owners with land adjacent to the highpoint. So please be respectful, don't make too much noise or cause disturbance.


"The Hill" from route 101 going East.

Camping and Other hiking

If you are going to take the time to camp you may want to visit other major mountain areas in the region such as the Berkshires, the Adirondaks, or the White Mountains in New Hampshire.

Furthermore, several state highpoints are within a few hours drive, including:

Frissel SW Shoulder - Connecticut (About 1 1/2 hours)
Mt. Greylock - Massachusetts (About 2 hours)
High Point - New Jersey (About 3 hours)
Mt. Marcy - New York (About 3 1/2 hours)
Mt. Washington - New Hampshire (About 4 hours)

If you really can't travel very far away, check out this link where you'll find info on nearby campgrounds and hotels.

Local Conditions

Check out the link page for the weather report.

Rock Climbing and hiking in Rhode Island

If you want to find places to go hiking or rock climbing in Rhode Island, or the area near Jerimoth Hill, check out these sites:

Rock Climbing in Rhode Island
County Highpoints of Rhode Island


If you want a nice bike/wilderness trail, check out the North-South Trail, which reaches about a mile from the high point:

Unofficial Map
Greenways Alliance of Rhode Island

External Links

• Local Area Weather
  Weather report from nearby East Killingly, Connecticut
  
• History, Directions, Camping and Hotel Information
  History, Directions, Camping and Hotel Information from a Rhode Island Travel site.
  

Additions and CorrectionsPost an Addition or Correction

Images

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