Scituate Reservoir · RI-14

A short forest ride around the reservoir that supplies Providence: from Hope it heads north to RI-14, crosses the Scituate Reservoir on Plainfield Pike, drops south from Clayville on RI-102 and comes back east on Flat River Road to Coventry. It's 23 miles, one way. It isn't a loop for now because RIDOT closed RI-116 through Hope village on April 24, 2026 to rebuild two bridges, with reopening expected by the end of 2026. Traffic is light, and so are services.

The Scituate Reservoir is the largest body of fresh water made by people in Rhode Island, and together with its tributary reservoirs it supplies drinking water to more than 60 percent of the state. The state created its water board in 1915, and water storage began in 1925. To build it, the villages of Rockland, Ashland, South Scituate, Richmond and Kent were cleared, along with more than a thousand buildings, and they now lie under the water. The route crosses the reservoir on RI-14, Plainfield Pike, through protected watershed forest.

It's a one-way route for now. On April 24, 2026, RIDOT closed RI-116 (Main Street) in Hope village to rehabilitate two bridges over the Pawtuxet River and a mill raceway, with reopening expected by the end of 2026; once it reopens, the loop can close on RI-116. The route starts in Hope, comes back through Coventry on Flat River Road, and has very few services along the way, so fuel up before you start.