Find the top rated inline skating trails in Rhode Island, whether you're looking for an easy short inline skating trail or a long inline skating trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a inline skating trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Or ice cream, from one of the vendors you can visit along the way.
Dateline: Monday June 25, 2018.
Beautiful sunny day, temps in the upper 80's
I came for 3 days of biking in Rhode Island just for this trail and it did not let me down. Do it. It's worth a long drive (3.5 hours for me) and repeat visits. I used a municipal parking lot in Bristol for the round trip, which was about a quarter mile down the same street as the endpoint of the trail. Every other parking area was too busy.
Caution. After visiting many bike trails thanks to TrailLink, my only complaint is that some of the parking areas need to be reviewed more carefully. In this case the first parking area in East Providence did not encourage me to leave my car there for 3 hours. Always take the address/directions/GPS to more than one parking lot and visit the TrailLink site just before departing for any updates. I drove 2.5 hours to Windsor Locks, CT to find out the entire trail was closed temporarly, and my only parking lot address closed for the entire year. But I will go back, because the trails themselves have not let me down.
Dateline: Tuesday, June 26, 2018.
Beautiful sunny day, about 85 F.
I started from the Traillink suggested parking lot in the East Providence. The first 3 to 4 miles were in suburban street bike lanes until I got to Lonsdale. Then the trail became wonderful and completely off-road. So choose your parking area carefully. This trail is definitely worth a long drive (3.5 hours for me) and a repeat visit. As much as I love the ocean views of the East Bay Bike Path, I liked this trail better. Nice job Rhode Island.
Caution. After visiting many bike trails thanks to TrailLink, my only complaint is that some of the parking areas need to be reviewed more carefully. Always take the address/directions/GPS to more than one parking lot and visit the TLink site just before departing for any updates. I drove 2.5 hours to Windsor Locks, CT to find out the entire trail was closed temporarly, and my only parking lot address closed for the entire year. But I will go back, because the trails themselves have not let me down.
June 2018. Trail Link has 2 trails detailed for the Blackstone river when there are at least 3 or more. The first one is from 287 Oak Street Uxbridge which is separately detailed on this site - it's a dirt track and you need at least a hybrid or off road bike to ride it. This is not connected with the one below, and to do so is a 2-3 mile road ride through central Uxbridge, heading south on route 122 then south on rte 146A.
With this review I cover the two sections starting at south Uxbridge, Massachusetts and riding to Providence RI. The first section in Massachusetts is not detailed on the Trail Link site.
The Massachusetts part of this trail starts near rte 146A on the far southern outskirts of Uxbridge, MA where it meets rte 146. The trail heads south towards Woonsocket, RI between here and St Paul Street in Blackstone village is very new, paved and in great condition, a pretty ride and downhill as you head south. It stops abruptly near St Paul Street, and if you've gone past the parking lot, you've already gone too far. It's about 4 miles long.
At this point you need to take Canal Street and River Street into Woonsocket, RI through the industrial areas where most of the route is marked, until the markings disappear near Front Street, Woonsocket where you need to follow Hamlet Avenue, bear right on Manville Road and left on Willow Street to the river edge parking lot.
This is where the Rhode Island part of the Blackstone Bikeway truly begins. From here its about 16 miles to the park at India Street, Providence, RI. The first 8 miles as you head south to Providence are alongside the river, with the track in mostly good condition and some great views as you trace the river towards the sea.
At about mile 8 the bikeway turns away from the river and through the backstreets of Central Falls, then Pawtucket all on the regular road. While the signposting is generally good, the state of the roads isn't and it's not a nice ride. This continues for a few miles until you get to Blackstone Boulevard in Providence. It's another nice section, however you are in a bike lane sharing the road with cars. Turn off here (marked - follow the signposts) and for the last mile or two and you head to the river again rejoining the bike path for the last half mile or so.
All of the sections can be ridden with a road bike, there are some sections in the last 8 miles that you certainly need to take more care. Would I ride this again? Woonsocket to Central Falls, yes, perhaps. Central Falls to Providence RI? No.
For a returnee to the bike riding crowd, I found this trail to be a hidden gem. Does not have the scenic views of the East Bay Bike Path but what it does have more than compensates.
So we started in Cranston. It was a of an bit urban feeling but that did not last long. It quickly assumed the characteristics of a rural bike path. Layered canopy overhead with woods, swamp lands and the occasional home or housing development.
Challenge? Oh yeah. The almost slight constant uphill kept me pedaling. Could we coast some ways? Yes, but not for long.
So after a hour and some 45 minutes we achieved the terminus in Coventry.
We sat having snacks and talking with other bikers. I made mention of the complaints on this forum about the 'conditions' of the path. (I always mention TrailLink to others when biking!)
I found the path to be in excellent shape. Were there some slightly overgrown areas, yes but it did not block progress or impede a view at all.
The return trip was AWESOME!!! There is about 3 to 4 miles of a constant downhill grade. We hit a high speed of 21MPH without even trying. For this first 4 miles, our average speed was 17.6MPH. For the next seven we averaged just over 13MPH.
Even with killer cramps that stopped me short at the 34 mile point (lost 15 minutes) and 37 mile point (lost 10 minutes), it was a great ride an worth the 38+ mile effort.
Yes, the trail is short, but it's very near my home and so great for daily exercise. I'm just beginning to ride my recumbent trike in a serious way, and so I do 3-4 laps every day. It's quiet, peaceful, and very well-maintained.
We started our ride in Riverside Park, which has a parking lot, a great playground, and river overlooks. Heading west from there, it's a pleasant trail experience, mostly lined with trees and wildflowers.
The wife and I are getting back into biking and this trail is great for the beginner/novice. There are slight inclines which reminded us on why we are taking it slow to get back into shape for more challenging trails as the weather improves.
What a difference a year makes. I reviewed this trail back in June 2016 with only nice things to say. The ride has nice views along the Blackstone River. The few bumps that I encountered last year has definitely increased. The only work done on these very large bumps is spray paint them so you see them before you get injured by hitting them. I found that the area with the biggest problems are between the 2 overpasses (rt116 and rt146). But they are really everywhere.
Checked this out today to see if my wife would enjoy it...the good news is she will! Her 'complaint' about the East Bay trail was that it felt narrow (compared to the Shining Sea trail in Falmouth).
This is nice and wide w/ one exception where they give notice that it narrows (and even then it's still pretty wide).
The last 3-4 miles in Coventry had a steeper incline than the rest of the trail. As a result, I think when I bring my wife (not an avid rider) I'm going to park behind the Coventry PD (near Station St.) and head south first to get the incline out of the way and then head back up north past the PD as far as she feels comfortable.
At the southern end, the Summit General Store was a good stop. I didn't get anything to eat at the counter, just some trail mix and cold drink but it was convenient. I did see several folks stopping in for lunch while I was sitting there.
I started at the East Providence parking area and rode to Colt State park. It's actually a very nice ride from EP to about the beginning of Barrington. That's when the large bumps start and also a lot more intersections. So hold on and go slow because you will be rewarded ending at Colt. And for a little added mileage, coming from EP, take a right at the sign for Crescent Park. It's only about 1/2 mile from the bike trail. Worth the stop. Take a break and take a ride on the Carousel if it's open.
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