Blackstone River Bikeway

Blackstone River Valley, Rhode Island

Historic / Family / Romantic
Trail Description

Location: Lincoln passing through Manville to Woonsocket, RI. Providence County.

Directions: Blackstone River State Park, Front Street, Lincoln

From Route 95 North: Take Exit 23, Route 146 North to Breakneck Hill Road, Route 123, continue eastbound, becomes Front Street, bike path parking area located on your left at flashing yellow light.
From Route 95 South: Take Exit 4 for Route 295 South to Exit9A For Route 146 South to Breakneck Hill Road, Route 123, continue eastbound on Route 123 becomes Front St., bike path parking area located on your left at flashing yellow light.

Route 116 parking area (George Washington Highway) Lincoln

Take Exit 23 for Route 146 North to Route 295 North to Exit 10 Mendon Road, take left onto Mendon Road continue to its intersection with Route 116 George Washington Highway, take right onto Rte. 116 eastbound, bike path parking area located approximately 1 mile on your right.

Trail Length: 9 miles

Trail Surface: Asphalt bike path

Trail Difficulty: Easy

Caution: Shared use with hikers and in-line skaters. Be careful at road crossings.

Other Area Rides:

Eastbay Bicycle Path
George Washington Management Area
Lincoln Woods State Park
Restored sections of the Blackstone Canal can also be be seen at the Blackstone River And Canal Heritage State Park in Massachusetts.

Local Resources Hub: Bike shops, bike clubs, outdoor adventure travel, bike tours, bike events, trail maps, bike safety, camping, historical places, where to stay and other related mountain biking resources.

Note: The trail maps on this website have been simplified to provide an overview with approximate locations of trails and special features.

Read Full Disclaimer.

The Trail:

The Blackstone River Bikeway, is a planned recreational path that will extend 48 miles from Providence, Rhode Island to Worcester, Massachusetts. On the Rhode Island side of things, the Blackstone River Bikeway is scheduled to be a 17.1 mile bike path. From Providence, the 12 foot wide, scenic bike path will eventually link to the paved East Bay Bike Path. The bikeway is intended to provide an off-road route through the historic Black River Valley National Heritage Corridor. The National Park Service works together with state governments, local municipalities, businesses, non-profit historical and environmental organizations, educational institutions and private citizens to protect the special identity and future of the Valley.

We have included this ride for it's historic value and scenery. Currently, a 9 mile paved section of the Blackstone River Bikeway is open between Cumberland and Lincoln, Rhode Island. In Ashton, RI, the bike path runs on top of the historic, restored Blackstone Canal towpath for 3.5 miles from Front Street, near Lonsdale Avenue to a parking area near Route 116 (George Washington Highway). Along the towpath you can still see remnants of the circa 1830 Blackstone Canal era, including mill villages, locks, dams, bridges and mill ponds. One of the most impressive structures is the rehabilitated arched Ashton Viaduct (George Washington Highway Bridge) which carries Route 116 over the Blackstone River. It is an exceptionally beautiful wooded ride during the fall foliage season in early October.

This stretch of the bike path is also located near Lincoln Woods State Park where you can find restroom facilities, swimming, hiking trails and the 3.0 mile bike loop around Olney Pond. The bikeway also connects to Blackstone River State Park where there is additional parking and hiking trails.

Adjacent to the Blackstone River Bikeway in Quinnville, the Captain Wilbur Kelly House, home of ships captain and mill owner Wilbur Kelley, is a newly opened museum and visitor center that offers free tours. Quinneville was the first mill village built in Lincoln, RI.

A new 2-mile section of the Blackstone River Bikeway stretches from what once was the northern terminus of the path in Manville to Woonsocket, Rhode Island, home of the Museum of Work and Culture. A highight along this section of the route is a wide overlook of the river at the Manville Dam. where a 160-foot wide waterfall drops 19 feet to the level of the river. Granite benches at this point offers cyclists the opportunity to take a break and admire the river views. Well placed interpretive signs inform trail users about the history of the area. A a canoe launch is also available for those who wish to see the river north of the dam from a different perspective.

Interim on-road routes stretch south to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, home of the Slater Mill, the Birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution and the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center (www.slatermill.org). From here, you can follow the city streets into Providence to connect to the East Bay Bike Path that travels along Narragansett Bay for 14.5 miles to historic Bristol, RI.

New extensions of the bikeway to the north and south are expected to open in the near future.

Historical Note:

The Industrial Revolution in America had its beginnings right here in the Blackstone River Valley. The river provided water power for the factories and mills that sprung up along its banks. The Blackstone Canal was designed to provide quick and easy transportation for goods between Worcester, MA and Providence RI and was an important means of transporting raw materials and manufactured goods between these industrial centers. It used a series of 49 granite locks to move barges up and down the 438-foot drop over its 46-mile length. While 90% of the distance was covered in a separate ditch, peaceful portions of the Blackstone River were used as well. Between 1828 and 1848 horse-drawn boats carried the goods and passengers. By 1847 the canal became obsolete with the introduction of the railroad.

For more information:

Lincoln Woods State Park
2 Manchester Print Works Road
Lincoln, Rhode Island 02865

Phone: (401) 723-7892
Website: Blackstone River Bikeway

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