Northeast - Where to ride in Mass

I'm off this Friday, the weather forecast looks good and I'm torn on where to go riding. One choice is to deal with the Cape traffic and head to the Cape Cod Rail Trail which is 22 miles (one way) or to head south to Providence and take the East Bay Bike Trail which is 14.5 miles (one way). I usually ride the Minuteman Trail from Bedford into Alewife then head over to Harvard Sq to take the Charles River the rest of the way into Boston. Looking to mix it up a bit but prefer to ride on trails vs. the road.

Fair Warning, the Attleboro paper just ran a feature on both the CC and East Bay trails. Since East Providence is a stone's throw for Attleboro, it'll probably be amatuer hour there for the next few weeks, at least during peak hours.

I'd also try the Rhode Island stretch of the Blackstone Bikeway, there is an entrance off of Davison Ave in Woonsocket, which is the Northern terminus for the paved trail. It's fairly easy to get to from where you are, Davison is off of RR 122/126, almost across the street from the hospital. The bike path is in the park, Waterworks park or something like that....

If you haven't tried it yet, it's a nice ride. Great smooth trail with some hills and good views. It's a MUP so there are picnic spots to stop at and put-in areas for people who want to kayak or canoe the river. I wouldn't bother with the over the road parts of the Bikeway. Yes you can go all the way to Providence, if you don't mind riding through the gheto to get there.

I rode from Providence to the Southern terminus of the trail in Lincoln over the road on the fourth of July. I then rode the finished trail to Woonsocket and back to Lincoln. I think the finished stretch is about 9.5 miles. I can't believe they recommend biking through those neighborhoods. If you don't know where you're going, you could easily wind up in the wrong area to be in on a bike.
**************

If the weather holds up, I'm actually riding East Bay on Saturday, I'll be on the trail before 6am though. I have to meet up with someone later.

Have you considered riding along the Cape Cod Canal or checking out the newly-lengthened Shining Sea Bikeway in Falmouth?

I agree, the East Bay to Bristol ride along the water is one of my wife and my favorites. I ride with a buddy on the Woonsocket south trail and it is one of the finest in New England. Haven't made it to the Kelly museum but do enjoy a sandwich and beer in Lincoln.


Fair Warning, the Attleboro paper just ran a feature on both the CC and East Bay trails. Since East Providence is a stone's throw for Attleboro, it'll probably be amatuer hour there for the next few weeks, at least during peak hours.

I'd also try the Rhode Island stretch of the Blackstone Bikeway, there is an entrance off of Davison Ave in Woonsocket, which is the Northern terminus for the paved trail. It's fairly easy to get to from where you are, Davison is off of RR 122/126, almost across the street from the hospital. The bike path is in the park, Waterworks park or something like that....

If you haven't tried it yet, it's a nice ride. Great smooth trail with some hills and good views. It's a MUP so there are picnic spots to stop and put-in areas for people who want to kayak or canoe the river. I wouldn't bother with the over the road parts of the Bikeway. Yes you can go all the way to Providence, if you don't mind riding through the gheto to get there.

I rode from Providence to the Southern terminus of the trail in Lincoln over the road on the fourth of July. I then rode the finished trail to Woonsocket and back to Lincoln. I think the finished stretch is about 9.5 miles. I can't believe they recommend biking through those neighborhoods. If you don't know where you're going, you could easily wind up in the wrong area to be in on a bike.
**************

If the weather holds up, I'm actually riding East Bay on Saturday, I'll be on the trail before 6am though. I have to meet

I've have done the trail that runs along the Canal in the past. I also ride the shining sea bikeway once a year, I do the MS Ride at the Vineyard and park at the lot and ride it into the ferry station. Both trails are very good, was looking for something longer today.

DX Rider, thanks for the heads up on the articles. I'm heading out after I drop my kids off at day care so I'll be getting an early enough start so shouldn't be too crowded. How long is the Rhode Island side of the Blackstone River Bikeway?

DX Rider, thanks for the heads up on the articles. I'm heading out after I drop my kids off at day care so I'll be getting an early enough start so shouldn't be too crowded. How long is the Rhode Island side of the Blackstone River Bikeway?

It's about 9.5 miles if you go all the way to the end in Lincoln.

Not really all that close to Milford, but you might consider the Nashua River rail trail. 12+ miles if you go all the way
into NH. Pretty quiet on weekdays.

I typically end up driving to good trails so I'll keep that one in mind. Thank you.

Ended up doing the East Bay Bike Trail today. Total miles was 30.52. There seems to be a lot of crossings on that trail, from driveways to main roads. I counted something like 45, about one every 1/3 of a mile. At least they seemed to be clumped together for the most part.

I typically end up driving to good trails so I'll keep that one in mind. Thank you.

Ended up doing the East Bay Bike Trail today. Total miles was 30.52. There seems to be a lot of crossings on that trail, from driveways to main roads. I counted something like 45, about one every 1/3 of a mile. At least they seemed to be clumped together for the most part.

That's the other thing about Blackstone compared to East Bay, there are far less walkers, because there are far, far less access points from the street. But East Bay has the nice views of the bay.

By the way, I just to clarify, Blackstone is 9.5 miles each way.