Blackstone River Byway
Posted By auntie on January 26, 2017
4.4 miles; Lincoln and Cumberland, RI
This hike has been on my radar for a while; a trail on the opposite bank of the Blackstone from the bike path. It was only meh. Partly built on an old landfill, the trails on this side are the provinance of dirt bikers and atvs, not hikers. Still, it was good to get one of my persistent itches scratched.
Albion Dam
Starting from the Bikeway parking area on School Street in Lincoln, I crossed the Albion Road bridge, taking this photo of the beautiful Albion Dam and the rushing river along the way. Immediately across the bridge, you come to an open forest gate, and that’s where I went in.
Nice View
As I mentioned above, this hike doesn’t really have a lot to recommend it. A few pretty views of the river, maybe, although there are a lot of criss-crossing tracks through here, all made by motorized vehicles of some sort, dirt bikes or atvs. Maybe I just didn’t find the best ones.
Bike Path
The dirt tracks ultimately come out on a road, which connects to the Manville Hill Road bridge back over the river. A short stroll down New River Road takes you to the Bike Path.
Close-up of Albion Dam
And here is a close-up of the dam from the first photo. The river was really roaring along, and it was rather breathtaking to be so close.
There really isn’t anything “official” to be found online about this trail, although there are plenty of unofficial accounts. Just google “Blackstone River Byway,” and you’ll see what I mean.
[…] The Blackstone River Byway is a utility road that follows the eastern shore of the Blackstone River in Cumberland just north of Albion Road. Between that road and the river is a short footpath of a trail that climbs up to an impressive outcrop of rocks that overlook the river. The trail is entirely in Cumberland but you must park at the bike path parking area just over the river in Lincoln. From the parking area follow School Street over the bridge that crosses the river. From here you will get a great view of the Albion Dam. Just after the bridge and before the gated road is a narrow footpath that heads north along the river. The path passes the dam before heading uphill to the overlook. This is a great little spot to sit and contemplate. This hike out and back (and for this hike description featuring just about all the highlights) is about a half mile. If you choose to further explore, follow any of the spur trails to the Byway road and head north. The utility road is heavily traveled by ATV’s and not so much utilized by hikers. The road follows a buried petroleum pipeline for a distance before pipeline crosses the river. You will see a clearing on the left with a sign down below warning of the pipeline crossing the river. A hike to this point (and back to the parking area) is just about 2 miles. If you care do a loop of 4 miles, a fellow hiker recently explored this option. You can do so by continuing along the dirt road after it passes the utility clearing on the left. Here is a link to her website with and description and a map. […]