The Cliff Walk is one of Newport's most popular landmarks.

     Post card sent from Newport to France in October 1904

The most elegant Newport mansions were built along the rim of a long cliff which overlooks the Rhode Island Sound. Although the homes at the top of the cliffs were privately owned, a path along the cliffs remained open to the public. One of the high society owners built a stone wall across the walk, but the locals promptly tore it down. When he rebuilt it even higher and with a broken-glass top, the locals took him to court. The judge decided in favor of the locals and today the Cliff Walk is one of the most popular places in Newport.

The path runs for  three miles, from Memorial Boulevard at 1st Beach to Land’s End, near the end of Bellevue Avenue. The Cliff Walk passes by many of the most famous Newport mansions and leads to the Forty Steps off of Narragansett Avenue; another popular landmark.