My wife and I rode this trail on Columbus Day weekend 2011. The weather was perfect and so is this trail. Starting out at Colts neck state park and heading north to Providence, the views were beautiful. Colts park is a must to ride around in. As you ride all around the park you are surrounded by water and nice farm land. This ride all around added about 5.5 miles to the ride. Well worth the energy. The entire trail is very easy to follow with very little auto traffic intersections. Many places to stop along the way for snacks or a nice lunch. Bring your own food and stop any where along the way to enjoy the scenery. When we got to India Point we continued over the bridge and into town for a nice lunch at many of the eateries in town. Simple food,too the gourmet restaurants are all along the street, many places to choose from. Riding back to Colts park, we continued into the town of Bristol and discovered many good places to dine right along the waters edge. This trail was by far one of our best trails and quickly became a favorite of ours. We are all ready planning next years date. This entire area of Rhode Island is great! Newport, Providence and a bike ride on Block Island made for a spectacular weekend. It’s a must on your list of trails.
Ride a trail….write a review!!

My wife and I rode this trail for the first time last weekend. It's a great trail. Wasn't too crowded for a Saturday. Beautiful views along the harbor, and audubon society.

We stopped for a great lunch at Agave in Bristol. Overlooks the harbor. Nice sandwiches.

We only rode half the trail, but I'm looking forward to doing the entire trail next time.

My wife and I biked the trail Columbus day weekend. We started in Bristol and and headed north to South Providence. This is an absolutely beautiful trail with a mix of scenery from riding along the water, marshes and wooded areas. There were plenty of places to stop, so you can grab a bite to eat, cold drink or ice cream. It's a perfect way to spend the day getting a little exercise, fresh air and exploring quintessential New England towns.

What a gem for RI and outdoors enthusiasts.
I love bicycling the entire length of this trail on my annual pilgrimmage back to Porvidence and running sections too. (East Providence Cycle is a premier store for renting a bike if needed).
Some other highlights along the trail are lunch in Bristol with a waterfront view, and a stop at the Audubon in Bristol to observe birds, frogs and turtles.
Thank God, persistence prevailed over the NIBY's to bring this path to frution almost 20 years ago!
Placques on the path and/ or highlights of points of interest (Powham light) on the downloadable maps from traillink.com would be a plus.

Dan Hazard
formerly from Riverside, RI

The East Bay Trail is both scenic and action filled! Trail is in great shape and has so much diversity......from peaceful forests to beatiful water and wildlife views, to parks and busy intersections that offer many food and beverage options.
Be aware that this is a busy trail with many intersections, walkers, rollarbladers, and other bicycles.....and to get to a Parking Area you have to deal with the Providence traffic & construction projects.
This trail is a must ride however, and worth the trip!

Today my cousin and I went on the beautiful East Bay Bike Path. Even though it was a very hot day in August, it was a wonderful ride. It was incredibly smooth and flat and the scenery, as we drove along Narragansett Bay, was awesome.
We started out at Haines Memorial State Park and drove south to Bristol, which was enjoyable with its shops, restaurants and shaded parks. Along the way we past an Audubon center and admired the profusion of wildflowers in the meadow. We then saw a blue heron in a tree by the water.
The trip was a total of 18 miles, and along with some Dell’s lemonade, it was a great day.

The EBBP is practically in my back yard, and I have little incentive to go elsewhere. It's a beautiful and long (14-mile) trail. You can make a short trip of it by starting at any number of places. There are lots of amenities, bathrooms, and food stops along the way.

See my Flickr set of EBBP photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kzirkel/sets/72157601067393213/

After reading about this trail for the past couple of years the timing was right today to finally give it a try. WOW!!! I can't say enough great things about it. It is well maintained and the scenery is beautiful. There were a lot of people also enjoying the path today, but everyone is courteous and alerts if they are passing or allows others to pass. A perfect day and a great path!!!

"This is a wonderful trail. One thing to note is; on the north end of the trail you cannot park by exit 3,Gano st., and cross the bridge. The bridge is under construction and the pedestrian bridge is closed. You have to go to the next exit on rt.195, exit 4, and start the trail there. I highly recommend this trail though. It's beautiful and very easy riding. Almost as nice as the ones on the Cape."

"This trail has everything. Salt water marshes, views of the bay, woodlands, an Audobon Sanctuary, quaint towns and parks. Great birdwatching. We saw Cormorants, Swans, Larks, Catbirds and Purple Martins to name a few. Parked in E. Providence. Very level after the first big hill. Reward yourself with a seafood dinner at the end in Bristol. Wear sunscreen. Restrooms in the middle in the park. "

"Several weeks ago, I traveled from Newington, CT to East Providence to explore the East Bay Bicycle Path, a trail that had been recommended to me by a resident of Block Island, actually!

It was easy to find, directly over the bridge to East Providence. There were many spots to park along the trail. Except for a fairly long downgrade when you begin the trail, which brings you to water level, the trail is relatively flat, and there are plenty of places to stop and get a cold drink or an ice cream along the way.

I road 28 miles that day - it was a recent record for me - I highly recommend it, for the majority of the ride, you have water adjacent to you. Great ride on a beautiful summer day!"

"This is one of the best rail trails my wife and I have ridden in 29 states. Like another reviewer, we also had trouble finding the trail in Bristol. We went about a mile north of the trail's southern end and parked in an ample trail parking lot near the entrance to Colt State Park. From Newport, follow highway 114 up through Bristol to the Colt SP entrance. Although it was a large lot, it was full when we got back from our Saturday morning ride. The other parking symbols shown on the website map don't help very much in actually locating parking. The instructions for parking at the north end of the trail are exactly on, so use them if arriving from the north.

This trail has excellent views of the bay, pleasant woodland stretches, small town and big city views. The superb asphalt trail is well marked with mile and 1/2 mile markers the entire distance. The narrow I-195 bridge crossing is an adventure, but worth the trip. The only downside to the trail is the lack of sanitary facilities. The only ones we saw were at about mile seven, so plan ahead. Overall, this trail rates a 10."

"Monday, Sept. 5, was a beautiful day to break in my new bike on the East Bay Path. Great views, nice wooded areas. I accessed the trail at Independence Park off Route 114 in Bristol, and it took a bit of effort to locate the park. The TrailLink access directions are for starting in East Providence, not Bristol."

"It should be noted that it is possible to enjoy a one-way ride on the 14.5 milr East Bay Bike Path by using the RI Public Transit Authority's ""Rack and Ride"" bike racks. Take Bus route #60 (Providence-Newport, which has about 40 trips per weekday each way, $1.25 including bike) from Kennedy Plaza in Providence to downtown Bristol where the path begins. It is about 16 miles back to the Plaza. For the last stretch, after coming over the I-195 bridge when the offical bike path ends, it is possible to wind thru India Point Park at the head of the Bay, cross under the highway and then follow the east bank of the Providence River back. This makes a very pleasant ride."

"Very scenic, great ride! Not as crowded as the Minute Man.
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This trail is not to missed. Beautiful views of the bay and salt marshes. Passes through several state parks. Easy paved trail with many places to stop and snack. Nice going Rhode Island!

"I love this trail. One end stops at a major park and the park is on the ocean. The path also goes into a cute historic section of Rhode Island. There are restaurants on the trail and the prices are reasonable. Also, there are bike shops along the trail for repairs or rentals. You can take a side trip off the trail, perhaps 1/4 mile away, to Carousel Park. I like the view. It's mainly flat so you don't have to be a serious cyclist."

My friends and I skated the whole trail back and forth. We all thought it was wonderful. We're very happy that they keep this trail in such good shape.

"I drove down from Maine to ride the trail; it's very impressive. The asphalt surface is very smooth and, unlike an earlier review, it wasn't crowded. This is a very fine and unique Rail-Trail, right next to the ocean, with fine views of the Providence skyline. Outstanding."

"Bring you own water, or some money. I only found one drinking fountain in the nine miles if this trail I covered. There are plenty of places to stop and BUY water (or pop, ice cream, etc.) Some great views: Providence, a lighthouse, swans, and other wildlife. This trail can be difficult for in-line skating. I do NOT recommend crossing the Washington bridge. I didn't make it all the way to Bristol. There were at least three points on the trail where I nearly fell, due to bumps (I never fall). The parking lots were over-full on this Labor Day Sunday."