By Dave and Jan in August, 2010
The trail has been extended since some of the prior reviews. We began our trip in Lonsdale at the Drive-in, (currently marked as mile 7.5) and rode north to Woonsocket at mile 17. The parking lot trail sign directed us to either Calais, ME going left, or Key West FL. going right. Let's hope they can follow through on that ambitious goal!
**NOTE: the directions say to take John Street to the trail entrance: if you are coming from Rte 123, John St. is ONE WAY, and you can't turn into it. Go to Chambers St. at the Sovereign Bank, and turn there. It will merge with John St. about 100 yards from the trail entrance. If you click the "get directions to here" pop-up, it will make the same mistake. ***
The trail was in excellent shape the entire way. Mind the road signs, as there are some spurs in the Lonsdale and Kelly House areas. Mile markers are clearly displayed on granite posts.
We rode mid-morning on an August Monday, and it was in use by a diverse group of hikers, bikers, bladers and strollers. Not as crowded as other trails, though. The signs promise views of wildlife along the way - we had barely cleared the parking lot when 3 deer bounded across the path and into the Lonsdale meadow. It seemed every log in the canal had turtles on it, and flocks of duck and Canada geese were on the river.
There is not much access to this trail: you won't be going through little towns with opportunities for "rest stops", but there are several benches, picnic spots and scenic places to stop. In the Woonsocket end it passes an athletic field complex, where there is apparently a snack bar and rest rooms (closed when we went by).
By jonhoward in August, 2009
This trail is now about 12.5 continuous paved miles long, not 6.8 as shown here at TrailLink. See http://www.dot.ri.gov/bikeri/ for current maps and info.
In the last year or so (2008-2009) RIDOT has completed a bridge project, eliminating a major block in Lincoln, opened a new extension taking the path one mile southward from the old Lonsdale Drive-in and finished two new extensions adding about 1.5 miles northward into Woonsocket.
This is a great morning or afternoon ride, fully paved and generally smooth with no significant hills, except for one entirely optional spur trail. It is relatively less used, compared to RI's East Bay path. Foot traffic has been increasing since the the improvements last year, but you can have the path largely to yourself in the early am or on weekdays in spring or fall. I've ridden this trail all year round, although winter ice can make it unsafe at times.
The entire trail follows the Blackstone River through wooded countryside, with remnant sections of the old Blackstone Canal often on the other side of the path. The River or the Canal are generally in view as you ride offering many chances to see heron, turtles, rabbits and other animals. The thick vegetation offers good shade in summer and great spring and fall foliage.
Despite the rural appearance, the Blackstone River was intensely exploited for manufacturing. Artifacts of the early Industrial Age - dams, foundations, locks, millraces and mills (now mostly converted to condos) - punctuate the path and make for interesting stops and explorations on foot.
The current southern end on Jones Street in Cumberland may be hard to find. We used to park in this residential neighborhood until someone stole our rack, so now we generally use designated parking lot a mile north at the former Lonsdale Drive-in on Rt. 123 or ride in five miles from our house. However, this segment offers a very pleasant ride along the edge of a wetland, including a board walk over water, with good birding opportunities. You could park at the Cumberland Town Hall on Broad Street and bike over a couple of blocks on Jones. With luck and funding, the path will be continued to a better-supervised parking space in Central Falls or Pawtucket soon.
Heading north from the Drive-In parking lot, you soon come to light-controlled crossing at Lonsdale Ave Rt 122. Once across this undistinguished intersection, the trail gets interesting, zig-zagging along and over the river before turning north on the western bank for a long stretch of uninterrupted riding. There is only one street crossing from this point to the northern terminus in Woonsocket.
About five miles north after the Kelly House (a preserved farm house) you have the option of taking a spur trail on the left. This offers a short, steep and winding climb to a visitor center on Rt. 295, which crosses the path on a high bridge at this point. Not much up there to see, but they do have ice cream. If you've got small kids or a heavy bike, even ice cream may not make the climb worthwhile, but if you want to jump start your heart and get a fun ride back down, go for it.
Which raises my only mild complaint about this path: the lack of contact with the dense communities it runs through. There is nowhere on or within sight of the path to buy food or bike supplies except for a new food stand in Rivers Edge Park in Woonsocket at the northern end (very difficult to actually reach on a bike). I like a path that leads to town centers and people. For this, RI's East Bay path is far superior.
Note that RI observes a "walk left, ride right rule."
By jonhoward in August, 2009
This trail is now about 12.5 continuous paved miles long, not 6.8 as shown here at TrailLink. See http://www.dot.ri.gov/bikeri/ for current maps and info.
In the last year or so (2008-2009) RIDOT has completed a bridge project, eliminating a major block in Lincoln, opened a new extension taking the path one mile southward from the old Lonsdale Drive-in and finished two new extensions adding about 1.5 miles northward into Woonsocket.
This is a great morning or afternoon ride, fully paved and generally smooth with no significant hills, except for one entirely optional spur trail. It is relatively less used, compared to RI's East Bay path. Foot traffic has been increasing since the the improvements last year, but you can have the path largely to yourself in the early am or on weekdays in spring or fall. I've ridden this trail all year round, although winter ice can make it unsafe at times.
The entire trail follows the Blackstone River through wooded countryside, with remnant sections of the old Blackstone Canal often on the other side of the path. The River or the Canal are generally in view as you ride offering many chances to see heron, turtles, rabbits and other animals. The thick vegetation offers good shade in summer and great spring and fall foliage.
Despite the rural appearance, the Blackstone River was intensely exploited for manufacturing. Artifacts of the early Industrial Age - dams, foundations, locks, millraces and mills (now mostly converted to condos) - punctuate the path and make for interesting stops and explorations on foot.
The current southern end on Jones Street in Cumberland may be hard to find. We used to park in this residential neighborhood until someone stole our rack, so now we generally use designated parking lot a mile north at the former Lonsdale Drive-in on Rt. 123 or ride in five miles from our house. However, this segment offers a very pleasant ride along the edge of a wetland, including a board walk over water, with good birding opportunities. You could park at the Cumberland Town Hall on Broad Street and bike over a couple of blocks on Jones. With luck and funding, the path will be continued to a better-supervised parking space in Central Falls or Pawtucket soon.
Heading north from the Drive-In parking lot, you soon come to light-controlled crossing at Lonsdale Ave Rt 122. Once across this undistinguished intersection, the trail gets interesting, zig-zagging along and over the river before turning north on the western bank for a long stretch of uninterrupted riding. There is only one street crossing from this point to the northern terminus in Woonsocket.
About five miles north after the Kelly House (a preserved farm house) you have the option of taking a steep spur trail on the left. This offers a short, steep and winding climb to a visitor center on Rt. 295, which crosses the path on a high bridge at this point. Not much up there to see, but they do have ice cream. If you've got small kids or a heavy bike, even ice cream may not make the climb worthwhile, but if you want to jump start your heart and get a fun ride back down, go for it.
Which raised my only mild complaint about this path: the lack of contact with the dense communities it runs through. There is no where on or within sight of the path to buy food or bike supplies except for a new food stand in Rivers Edge Park in Woonsocket at the northern end. I like a path that leads to a town centers. For this, RI's East Bay path is far superior.
Note that RI observes a "walk left, ride right rule."