A canoe or kayak might be the easiest way to get out on the water , but Rhode Island ’ s network of bike paths also offers impressive water views . Check out the guide below to find a local path .
BLACKSTONE RIVER BIKEWAY Total length : 18.2 miles . Water view : Blackstone River . Vibe : Relive the region ’ s industrial past along this former transportation corridor featuring interpretive signs and restored mill buildings . Easy access points : River ’ s Edge Recreation Complex , Woonsocket ; Front Street , Cumberland ; former Lonsdale Drive-In , John Street , Lincoln .
EAST BAY BIKE PATH Total length : 14.5 miles . Water view : Providence River . Vibe : Catch glistening views of the Providence River as it empties into Narragansett Bay and sample the best of the East Bay on this pitstop-friendly bike path . Easy access points : India Point Park , Providence ; Veterans Memorial Parkway , East Providence ; Haines Memorial State Park , Barrington ; Independence Park , Bristol .
East Bay Bike Path .
SOUTH COUNTY BIKE PATH Total length : 7.8 miles . Water view : Saugatucket River . Vibe : Families delight in this kid-friendly path that passes through woods and quaint historic villages , ending just one mile from Narragansett Town Beach . Easy access points : Kingston Train Station , West Kingston ; Main Street , Wakefield ; Narragansett Community Center , Narragansett .
WOONASQUATUCKET RIVER GREENWAY Total length : Five miles . Water view : Woonasquatucket River . Vibe : Urban and trendy , this mural-strewn route lands travelers in the heart | | CONTINUED ON PAGE 102
Chuck Horbert and friends during their 2014 paddle trip .
Q-and-A
WITH CHUCK HORBERT
In 2014 , Chuck Horbert and three friends — David Smith , Jim Cole and Bill Luther — made Rhode Island history when they became the first people to paddle the length of the state from North Smithfield to Westerly . The inland trip took months of planning and involved traveling more than 101 miles over eleven waterways and at least twenty portages , including one grueling ten-mile walk from Big River to Arcadia Management Area . Horbert works as a deputy administrator for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management ’ s Office of Water Resources and also serves as wilderness tripping chairperson for the Rhode Island Canoe and Kayak Association . ricka . org
Why did you do the trip ? It was trying to promote the idea of reconnecting communities with their rivers to get out and realize that traveling down a river gives you a whole different perspective on your community . You ’ ve never seen your community from the river if you don ’ t paddle .
How long did it take ? Seven nights . Rhode Island throws a lot at you as far as obstacles go . There were twenty-something portages that we had to get around , which takes time . There are actually fewer portages if you were to paddle from Canada to the Atlantic Ocean down the Connecticut River .
Would you do it again ? I ’ m dreaming up a different trip . A west to east trip across Rhode Island , which in theory should be a little bit shorter . The big crux of that trip would be getting from Connecticut to something that you can actually paddle , and that means probably doing a long portage or carry along the Trestle Trail bike path from Connecticut all the way to the Flat River Reservoir .
How is Rhode Island doing on improving its water quality ? We have made huge strides obviously since the 1970s in improving our water quality , but there are still plenty of water bodies in the state that are impaired for certain pollutants , and to a great extent it ’ s because of our industrial past . It ’ s just a massive effort to clean these things up , but we are making improvements .
What advice do you have for newer paddlers ? Always wear a life jacket . I unfortunately still see a lot of amateur paddlers out there , first time in a kayak , or even people who have been kayaking for years and just think that they ’ re a good swimmer — they are out there and they don ’ t have a life jacket on . Most of the accidents and deaths that happen from canoeing and kayaking could have been prevented if somebody had just been wearing a life jacket . -L . C .
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