Rail-Trails Southern New England: The definitive guide to multiuse trails in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island

by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Overview

Explore more than 50 top rail-trails and multiuse pathways across three states—Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island—with this official guide.

All across the country, unused railroad corridors have been converted to public multiuse trails. Here, the experts from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy present more than 50 destination rail-trails, as well as other multiuse pathways, in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

Within these pages, you can explore two Hall of Fame Rail-Trails: the Minuteman Bikeway with its rich historical connections to the American Revolution and the East Bay Bike Path with its quintessential New England waterfront views. You’ll discover trails that traverse the quiet woodlands of Connecticut and the charming communities of Rhode Island, and you'll learn about ambitious trail projects spanning multiple counties across Massachusetts, like the Mass Central Rail Trail and the Border to Boston Trail. These adventures and more await you on the many multiuse trails of the region.

In this book, you’ll find:

Detailed maps for each trail, plus driving directions to trailheads

Icons indicating the activities each trail can accommodate

Succinct descriptions written by rail-trail experts

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy serves as the national voice for more than 160,000 members and supporters, more than 22,000 miles of open rail-trail across the country, and more than 8,000 miles of potential trails waiting to be built—with a goal of ensuring a better future for America made possible by trails and the connections they inspire.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780899979403
Publisher:	Wilderness Press
Publication date:	07/01/2018
Series:	Rail-Trails
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to converting former railroad corridors to public, multiuse recreational trails that offer easy access to runners, hikers, bicyclists, skaters, wheelchair users, and equestrians.

The official Rails-Trails guidebook series is published by Wilderness Press. Find out all the ways Wilderness Press and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy are working together over on the blog.

If you want to find out more about Rail-Trails, check out the Conservancy's official website, or give them a follow over on Twitter. Hope you get the chance to make your way to a Rail-Trail near you. They are so fun!

Read an Excerpt

William C. O’Neill Bike path
Location: Washington County
Endpoints: West Kingston to Wakefield
Mileage: 6.1
Roughness index: 1
Surface: Asphalt

Named for the late state senator who spearheaded development of the trail, the William C. O’Neill Bike Path (a.k.a. South County Bike Path) follows the route of the former Narragansett Pier Railroad, which connected the coastal village of South Kingston with the Narragansett Pier. Built in 1876, the railroad carried passengers to the pier, where they caught the ferry to Newport. It also delivered coal and lumber from the bay to inland villages. In 1921, rail buses—actual buses adapted to ride the rails—replaced regular passenger cars on the line. Locals affectionately called these unique buses Mickey-Dinks, after two of the drivers.
Starting from the newly restored Kingston Station (home to the Rhode Island Railroad Museum; open weekends), this 6.1-mile bike path traverses the Great Swamp Wildlife Management Area. Particularly in the spring and fall, you’ll encounter flocks of migratory birds. Just beyond Curtis Corner Middle School, foot- paths on either side of the trail lead to Tri-Ponds Park, which features three ponds, streams, 2 miles of nature trails, resident wildlife, and a nature center. Continuing on the bike path, you’ll wind through the quaint towns of Peace Dale and Wake eld, both rich in historical landmarks. The path abruptly ends at Kingstown Road. Plans are underway to extend the trail another 2 miles to the ocean. Until then, if you want to travel to the beach, turn right at the end of the bike path onto
Kingstown Road and follow it through the rotary all the way to its end. The ocean is straight ahead; Narragansett Pier is on the left. Stop in at a restaurant along the water to savor ocean views and sample the Ocean State’s famous quahogs, clam cakes, and Rhode Island clam chowder.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
About Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
How to Use This Book

Connecticut
1 Air Line State Park Trail
2 Charter Oak Greenway
3 Derby Greenway
4 Farmington Canal Heritage Trail
5 Farmington River Trail
6 Hop River State Park Trail
7 Kress Family Trail
8 Larkin State Park Trail
9 Middlebury Greenway
10 Pequonnock River Trail
11 Quinebaug River Trail
12 Shoreline Greenway Trail
13 Sue Grossman Still River Greenway
14 Vernon Rails-to-Trails
15 Windsor Locks Canal State Park Trail

Massachusetts
16 Alewife Linear Park/Somerville Community Path
17 Amesbury Riverwalk
18 Ashuwillticook Rail Trail
19 Assabet River Rail-Trail
20 Bedford Narrow Gauge Rail-Trail
21 Border to Boston Trail
22 Bridge of Flowers
23 Bruce Freeman Rail Trail
24 Canalside Trail
25 Cape Cod Canal Bikeway
26 Cape Cod Rail Trail
27 Clipper City Rail Trail and Harborwalk
28 Dr. Paul Dudley White Bike Path
29 East Boston Greenway
30 Grand Trunk Trail
31 Independence Greenway
32 Manhan Rail-Trail
33 Marblehead Rail-Trail
34 Mass Central Rail Trail
35 Minuteman Bikeway
36 Nashua River Rail Trail
37 Neponset River Greenway
38 North Central Pathway
39 Northern Strand Community Trail
40 Old Colony Rail Trail
41 Phoenix Bike Trail
42 Province Lands Bike Trail
43 Reformatory Branch Trail
44 Shining Sea Bikeway
45 Southwest Corridor Park (Pierre Lallement Bike Path)
46 Southwick Rail Trail and Columbia Greenway Rail Trail
47 Upper Charles Trail

Rhode Island
48 Blackstone River Greenway
49 East Bay Bike Path
50 Fred Lippitt Woonasquatucket River Greenway
51 Ten Mile River Greenway
52 Washington Secondary Bike Path
53 William C. O'Neill Bike Path
Index
Photo Credits
Support Rails-to-Trails Conservancy