Explore the best rated trails in Pawtucket, RI, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Southern New England Trunkline Trail and Swampscott Rail Trail . With more than 81 trails covering 604 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
I parked at NARA park and biked to Chelmsford. Today parked in same place and biked to west concord. Path is in great shape. Lots of trees, waterways, bridges, towns. Got to “the end” to discover that it actually goes several more miles which I’ll save for another day. I liked the poetry booth in West Concord- very original. I highly recommend this for scenery, safety, convenience of restaurants and bathroom stops. My favorite find this year.
Yesterday we decided to see if the trail, south of West Concord, was finally open. Last year, there was a locked gate under an overpass, and the only way to get past was to drag the bike down a hill. But, to our delight, the gate is open, and we biked all the way to Sudbury, nearly to Route 20. The new leg of the trail is glorious, beautiful scenery, well-marked, great resting spots, with blinking lights at road crossings. At the end, it connects to the Mass Central Rail Trail, itself under construction, but people were biking on it anyway through a gap in the fence. The only thing missing: portapotties!
Just rode this trail today 5/27/25. My previous 5* review (2024) still stands with two additional comments. 1. There are virtually no port-a-potties on the trail. However, right near the southern end in Bristol there are some nice benches and just across Thames St is a very nice town facility. 2. The north end parking (India Point) is very busy and biking the first mile getting to the East Bay Path is involved with some unpleasant street portions. Use GPS to locate the parking at 66 Veterans Memorial Pkwy, East Providence. A much better option - in my opinion.
I recently rode this on a cool day in May from Manchester to Willimantic and back, so right at 40 miles. The trail is well-maintained and foot/bike traffic was light, even though it was a holiday weekend. Very scenic for long stretches and low elevation gain. I rode a gravel bike with 45 mm tires. On a road bike with reasonable tires, this should be do-able (I saw a couple of them), but there is one rough section of about 100ft (30m) where you would need to walk. There is also one underpass that is dark enough to use a headlight...but it's passable if you slow down. There are a number of places to read about the history of the rail line, as well as a few locations with fix-it stations with bike tools and air pumps.
One final tip: Google maps takes you to an intersection on Colonial Road for the Manchester trailhead...the parking lot has a tiny sign that is easy to miss.
...we rode the western part... (is there a tool to edit a review?)
We rode the eastern part of the trail today, starting at the CT/MA border towards Douglas. The first 6-8 mls are well maintained and a good ride even with a street bike. Nice scenery, too. But then things get worse around Douglas. Rough surface with crushed stone, sand and deep puddles after a rainfall (like today). Looks like the track has not been maintained in a while and detoriates. A mountain bike is a big plus and highly recommended in some parts of the trail. Was a good ride though but do not expect a smooth one.
This is described as a 3.5 mile section but we only went about half way to the dam from the Stanley Mill. It is passable on bikes but has roots and larger stones along the stone path. It's really more a walking trail. The farm mentioned in the description was an interesting side visit and had very nice bath & water facilities. However, for a great biking experience the 10 mile section starting at Woonsocket is paved and a far more pleasant ride.
Just rode the trail south to the Sudbury line. The east west trail is finished to the west for another 8 miles. It connects to the Hudson Trail at the end.
I rode the Moosup Valley Rail Trail a few days ago from Moosup to Oneco. The trail is in excellent condition all the way, and beautiful! I rode 34mm knobbies, but would have had no trouble on 28 slicks. The only irritants were a guy on a motorized scooter in Moosup and 2 guys on screaming dirt bikes going the other way a bit farther along, but they passed quickly. In Sterling, dirt bikers had dug shallow ruts into a short stretch of path, diagonal to direction of travel, which made it bumpy but not hazardous. Otherwise lovely! I wish Rhode Island would step up to the plate and finish the connector to its Washington Secondary path.
Rode the two sections of this beautiful trail today. From the parking spot in the middle of the Ware trail towards Gilbertville is a nice ride along the river. But a short one. Opposite the old factory the trail suddenly ends and there are handwritten signs "Stop, Don´t go further, Private property..." It would only take a few yards to reach the next road to travel on towards Gilbertville. No chance. Shame on you, property owners! (The trailmap shows a way through, but that might be an error?)
Okay, same way back and on to Route 32 past Gilbertville, where the next trailhead is waiting;-)
Smooth surface, well maintained and even good for kids bikes and flat all the way to Wheelwright. 3 nice old bridges. This is one is fully recommended! Absolutely worth it.
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