Just off the eastern tip of Long Island, a short ferry ride from Rhode Island proper, Block Island offers a great weekend escape for New Yorkers and New Englanders alike. Rodman's Hollow Nature Preserve (a short ride on a rental bike from the ferry landing), is an ideal way to explore the unique glacial geology of this small island.

Starting from the trailhead off Cooneymus Road, walk south down to the edge of the bluffs overlooking the Atlantic. Along the way, look for blackberry bushes (ripe in mid to late summer), but be very mindful of ticks. Keep an eye out for coastal wildlife, including the infamous Block Island Meadow Vole, a quirky critter indigenous to Block Island.

Down at the bluffs, visit an old conservancy cabin with great views up and down the bluffs before scrambling down to the beach for a walk along clay shores (you'll pass driftwood and idyllic Atlantic scenes). The return trip—just one alternative of many in Rodman's Hollow—bypasses another bluffside overlook of the Atlantic before looping back towards the trailhead.

-Mapped by Melissa Stolasz