Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park

October 20, 2019 Sunny

This state park is along the midpoint of a canal that was used to transport goods in the 1800s from the Worcester area south to ports in Providence, Rhode Island. It’s also within the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, a park dedicated to the early years of the American Industrial Revolution.

We visited the River Bend Farm with the park, to learn about the history of the canal, and to walk the canal towpath.

The farm is by a wider and peaceful section of the canal.

Once you cross the bridge you can join the path, which is mainly for pedestrians.

There is a 1.5 mile section you can follow along the canal south from the farm, but we walked a shorter path north to the dam.

After this we drove a few minutes to check out the Blackstone River Greenway. This is a really well-maintained, flat path that follows an old railroad bed.

The riding is easy and passes through forested areas, open sections, across old bridges spanning rivers, and past small towns.

There are very few road crossings, which makes it great for younger cyclists. We took the path south a few miles into Blackstone Village, where we stopped for lunch. This small town is just on the border with Rhode Island.

Unfortunately, Ryan had a bicycle accident on the return trip, in which he knocked out a front adult tooth, so this emergency cast a shadow on our visit. 😦

However, we can say that the State Park is well worth a visit, especially during fall foliage season. And if you’re in the mood for cycling, the Blackstone River Greenway comes highly recommended. Just be sure to wear a helmet and stay on the path.

The canal and towpath make for a picturesque walk. The bikeway was well-maintained, flat, with interesting scenery.
The visitor’s center was educational. The pond and path was beautiful in the fall. The bike path was awesome.
The visitor center smelled like… musty stuff! But the path was pretty cool, so it wasn’t bad.
Walking on the path was nice but the visitor center was smelly
I liked the canal but the water was cold.