Beavertail State Park, Jamestown, R.I.
Located at the end of Beavertail Road on the southern tip of Conanicut Island, Beavertail State Park provides panoramic ocean views of Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound. Beavertail State Park is on the national register of historic places as the site of the third oldest lighthouse built in the United States. The first Beavertail lighthouse was a wooden tower was built in 1749, followed by a stone lighthouse in 1753 and the current historic 64-foot granite lighthouse built in 1857. For a detailed history of the lighthouse and currently schedule of events, visit the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association website.
Walking Trails
Depending on your desire for adventure and poison ivy tolerance, Beavertail point has a few different options for exploring. If you combine the woods trail and paved loop, you can walk about 2.3 miles and see all the views. If you don’t want to risk the often muddy trails and poison ivy, I suggest sticking to walking along the paved loop and rocky coastline easily accessed from the parking areas.
Beavertail Lighthouse Art Prints available on Etsy
Directly in front of the lighthouse, you can see the outline of Block Island on a clear day. Exploring the rocky coastline is a popular activity year round. Pink and purple beach roses grace the top of the shore line, while at waters edge crystal clear aquamarine water laps the pebble beaches in little coves surrounded by rocky cliffs.
Beavertail Lighthouse Plein Air Oil Painting
My goal was to find an angle with a good view of the both the lighthouse and the natural arch in the rock. I also wanted the scene to include the stunning shallow aqua-green waters of the cove. I set up my easel on a ledge that seemed to offer just the right view and started my block in.
The warmth of the sunlight on the rocks was spectacular, picking up the red tones within the rock face. Dinnertime was calling so this one I finished in the studio.
