We were joined on this hike by two new hikers, each earning their trail name along the way. Coach was named for his leadership and years of coaching youth football, and Skywalker earned her name for her athleticism and excellence in pole vaulting, along with her love of Star Wars, which we learned about on the trail.

Hiking in the Great Swamp is not just about mileage or views, it’s about walking with awareness. On many Rhode Island trails, we normally pass stone walls, rock piles, old stone foundations, and remnants of root cellars that hint at past lives and uses of the land. Each hike becomes an opportunity to reflect, to learn, and to honor the people who were here long before the trails were marked. On this hike, the landscape was different. Here, we felt loss, resilience, and a pivotal turning point in early American history.

Great Swamp Fight

Few places in Rhode Island carry as much historical weight as the Great Swamp Management Area, the site of the bloodiest battle of King Philip’s War, fought in December 1675.

That winter, colonial forces launched a surprise attack on a fortified village of the Narragansett people, who had sought refuge deep within the swamp. The timing was intentional. With the ground frozen and waterways locked in ice, the swamp’s natural defenses were weakened, allowing troops to cross terrain that would normally have been nearly impassable. What followed, known as the Great Swamp Fight, was a tragically devastating and one-sided battle that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Narragansett men, women, and children.

Near the heart of the area stands the Great Swamp Monument, a solemn reminder of the events that unfolded here in December 1675. Erected in 1906 by the Rhode Island Society of Colonial Wars, the granite monument marks the location traditionally associated with the Great Swamp Fight. While it reflects the historical perspective of its time, today the monument serves as a place for reflection, acknowledging the immense loss of life and the lasting impact of the battle on the Narragansett people and on Rhode Island’s history.

This hike was intentionally scheduled for December, not for comfort, but for context. Hiking this landscape in December when the temperature was 20^oF, offers a small glimpse into the environmental conditions that shaped the battle nearly 350 years ago. Bare trees opening long sightlines through the woods. The ground frozen and wind cutting through open areas. It’s one thing to read about history; it’s another thing to feel the cold and move through the same terrain, standing in the place where it unfolded.