About 20 inches on Block Island and the southeastern bay shore, 40 to 55 inches in the west
Groups, permits and lotteries
Rhode Island treats group size as a permitting question. Ten or more people on management area land need a special use permit from the Management Area Stewardship Committee. A special event of 75 or more is capped at 150 participants, is allowed only at Arcadia, Big River, Diamond Hill and George Washington, is issued only between 1 July and 30 September, and is applied for between 1 January and the end of February with a lottery on the first Monday in March if applications exceed the four permits available.
Sponsors pay for law enforcement cover and carry a million dollars of liability insurance.
A club turns a vehicle into a calendar. Day runs, weekend trips, training days, garage nights, and a list of people who will come and get you.
Most clubs offer
01Organized runs and trips at different levels
02Training days for new members
03Trail maintenance and clean-ups
04A voice in local land-use planning
05Help, tools and advice
How to find the right one
Go on a run as a guest before you pay dues.
01Decide between a club built around one make and one open to anything.
02Ask about the pace and style: family camping, technical trails, long-distance travel.
03Ask what the dues pay for.
04Watch how they treat the newest driver on a run.
Why clubs matter
Routes stay open because someone shows up. Clubs that adopt trails, clear them after winter and take part in land-use planning are a large part of why there is still somewhere to drive.
Questions people ask
Do I need a certain vehicle?
Some clubs are built around one make. Many are open to anything with four-wheel drive and a willingness to learn.
How do I list my club?
Use the List your business form and choose Clubs. Tell us where you meet and how people can join a run.
How high is Rhode Island?
From Galilee at 5 feet to Jerimoth Hill at 812.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
West GreenwichBig River, Wickaboxet and Tillinghast, one exit off the interstate546 ft
ChepachetThe village at the George Washington Management Area gate428 ft
CoventryThe eastern side of Big River and Nicholas Farm426 ft
PascoagBurrillville services for Buck Hill and Black Hut422 ft
ExeterThe northern approach to Arcadia on Ten Rod Road272 ft
WyomingOn Route 138 between Arcadia and the Carolina area115 ft
Hope ValleyThe Arcadia headquarters village, and the nearest fuel to the area82 ft
PawtucketOld Slater Mill and the Blackstone park headquarters39 ft
WesterlyMisquamicut, Woody Hill and the Quonochontaug sand trail37 ft
NewportAquidneck Island services, and the way to Sachuest Point28 ft
CharlestownBurlingame, the Breachway and the East Beach sand trail22 ft
New ShorehamBlock Island itself, about twelve miles offshore20 ft
ProvidenceThe one full-service city, and the last of it before the western woods9 ft
JamestownConanicut Island, Beavertail and a bridge at either end8 ft
WakefieldSouth Kingstown services, and the coastal council’s own office6 ft
GalileePoint Judith, the state boat ramp and the year-round island boat5 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Jerimoth HillThe state high point, in Providence County. USGS publishes 812 feet; our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 811812 ft
Durfee HillOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in Providence County, above the 2,466-acre management area of the same name805 ft
Buck HillOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in Providence County, above the 3,192-acre management area of the same name736 ft
Bald HillOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in Kent County629 ft
Beacon Pole HillOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in Providence County544 ft
Mount TomOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in Washington County. The Arcadia motor route includes a Mt. Tom Road431 ft
Tower HillOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in Washington County183 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
