The Cliff Walk along the eastern shore of Newport, RI is world famous as a public access walk that combines the natural beauty of the Newport shoreline with the architectural history of Newport's gilded age. Wildflowers, birds, geology ... all add to this delightful walk.

Many of the great mansions built during those times were ideally located on this scenic overlook of the Rhode Island Sound and Atlantic Ocean. Serious development of Cliff Walk started about 1880, and the estate owners spent the next 50 years …

If you only have a short time to do a piece of Cliff Walk drive down Narragansett Ave. to the Forty Steps and walk south past Salve Regina College and the Breakers. Map Credit: City of Newport, Commonwealth Engineers & Consultants, Inc., and the RI Dept of Transportation

There are five segments to the walk: 1. Memorial Blvd. to Forty Steps [ Blue Line ] This is the best route for a calm walk, jog or run as this segment is entirely paved with no steps.

This section of the walk is also the most difficult. But if you do reach Ledge Rd., cross over to find your way over the pile of rocks just past the gate to walk the last segment ... it is a lot more interesting than walking back along Ledge Rd.

Rhode Island Laws Affecting Cliff Walk Rhode Island's Section 32-6 of the state laws gives property owners "Limitation" from liability in regard to walkers on the Walk. We are not lawyers but all walkers should be aware of the following state law.