Some Easy Walks are simple strolls through woodland. Others feature something of interest like water views. The Riverwalk in Webster, MA is small (1.66 acres) but provides handicapped access to river views of the French river in downtown Webster, across the street from the Town Hall, at 350 Main Street. While the Riverwalk area presently is small, it is part of a much bigger plan to open up further access to the river.
Mountain laurels bloom every June in New England, but unless you are paying attention, you might miss the display. It doesn’t last very long. We saw loads of mountain laurel buds recently on a visit to New Hampshire, so I figured the Blackstone Gorge in Blackstone, MA might have some blooms to enjoy. I also checked in with a friend from the Blackstone Heritage Corridor, who confirmed that a trip to the Gorge to see blooming mountain laurel would be worthwhile (as though I needed an excuse!)
We headed north to investigate a potential rail trail we had heard about in Mason, NH, to see if it was bikeable. Called the Mason Rail Trail, we found very little up to date information on the internet, a little info on the Mason town website, but later discovered a quite recent account of a visit there only last week.
We arrived with our adaptive tandem bicycle at the Uxbridge trail head of the Blackstone Greenway, just off Rt 146A, before 7A.M, and found only one other car already there. Great. We wore masks, and pedaled along the trail, encountering mostly one, or sometimes two people on the trail, almost all walkers.
When we last visited this area, the state of RI was working on two bridges over the Moosup River in Coventry, RI. The bridge will eventually help connect this area to the popular Trestle Trail, although that day may be far in the future. We headed down Lewis Farm Road and found a place to park across the street from the closed section of the trail, where the bridge work is nearing completion.
We headed out on a weekday, hoping to avoid the crowds we have observed on railtrails on sunny weekend days. The beautiful day brought people out regardless, but we wore face masks, and did our best to avoid interacting with fellow visitors to the Mass Central Railtrail, starting in Oakham, MA next to the Ware River.
Face mask in place, along the trail, taking in the rock cut that made way for the railroad so many years ago
North of Rutland State Park, following Rt. 122, Worcester Road, we spotted numerous access points to the Mass Central Rail trail, but chose to stop next to a foot bridge over the Ware River, just west of Coldbrook Road, a little west of the hydropower plant on the Ware River. Few cars were here, and we had no problem maintaining distance between fellow travelers.
Nearly all the trail was this well maintained, hard-packed, with just a light dusting of finely crushed stone. Often we saw no one, but as we got near any access point numerous folks were on the trail
Since the last time we visited this area in 2017, the rail trail has been greatly improved. On our last visit the sharp downhill towards the Ware river was rutted, rocky, slippery, and very difficult to manage on our tandem bike. But since then the trail has now been improved with switchbacks, and the trail surface all the way up the hill is hard-packed, and has a light crushed stone topping.
While this surface will work for those looking for wheelchair access, the transition points, grade crossings between the rail trail, that is, roads the trail crosses, are choppy. Some have pretty substantial gaps, so getting across these with our tandem bike was tricky, for those in wheel chairs, nearly impossible without assistance. One portion of the trail travels on a road for about 100 yards until the trail picks back up and continues on. Signs directing travelers where the to pick up the trail would be a great help for first time visitors. When traveling west, turn right onto this quiet road and look for the continuation of the trail on your left.
One of the many beaver dams we saw as we traveled the rail trail in this area
Beaver activity was evident throughout our eight miles out on the trail (for a total of over sixteen miles of leisurely riding, including a lunch stop, for time on the trail of about three hours.) Lots and lots of water is in this area: swampy ponds, streams flowing beside the trail, and multiple beaver dams. We visited mid day, and thus did not see any beaver, but their work was all around us, as well as the impact of their dams on the landscape. Everywhere we looked, small streams flowed around the beaver dams, working to circumvent the dams and allow water to continue flowing downstream.
Area flooded by beavers, which drowned all these trees. A great spot for a heron rookery, but alas, the herons have not figured this out yet!
We found a lunch spot next to a flooded area that looked perfect for a heron rookery or a spot for ospreys to nest. The dead trees in the flooded area reminded us of other areas we have enjoyed visiting where Great Blue Herons happily nest, but we saw no evidence of this in the area we stopped at.
While most trail users were extremely courteous and worked to help us avoid getting too close to them, some users insisted on traveling side by side, allowing next to no space for oncoming travelers. Others on the trail traveling in pairs insisted on splitting up, forcing us into the middle, between them. Sigh… Overcast days, and setting out earlier would have helped reduce the number of people we saw on the trail. As we travel, we continue to learn.
Just one of the many water views awaiting visitors to this rail trail
Spending time outdoors is a good thing for each of us, and rail trails offer solid footing, so they naturally will be the locations many choose if they are unfamiliar with other options. Here’s hoping folks will continue to get outdoors, and will do their best to be considerate of others on the trail. Be safe out there, and happy trails!
We had thought to go farther from home, but each place we considered was closed to the public in response to overcrowded conditions. Instead, we decided to see if we could locate a small property I heard of in a neighboring town Hop Brook Preserve. We ventured out in the morning sunshine to nearby Blackstone, and after a little wandering about, spotted the trail sign and pulled into the SMALL parking area (room for only three cars at a time.)
Tommy Zazulak of Holliston reached out to me to share some photos he took near the Upper Charles Trail in Holliston. We exchanged a few emails, and he ended up sharing a delightful, slightly wacky story of stumbling across some intriguing stone culverts underneath the trail, in the area of Wenakeening Woods. The following are his photos and story. Enjoy! MTH
Stone culvert underneath the upper Charles Trail in Holliston (photo courtesy Tommy Zazulak)
The best part of the Upper Charles Land Trust area and the trails contained therein isn’t what you see as you hike the Holliston Upper Charles Trail or the Wenakeening Woods path. Rather it’s what you don’t see from the main route that is so breathtaking. At least it was for me when I stepped off the marked trails and paths and discovered a variety of tiny aqueducts, brooks and stone bridges unnoticeable from the marked and heavily traveled Holliston Rail Trail. Continue reading →
We often study maps prior to heading outside, and this trip was no exception. But it turns out that best laid plans still go awry. As we traveled on some unfamiliar roads we completely missed our original goal, of Black Hut Wildlife management area, in Burrillville. Instead, we overshot and ended up at Buck Hill Wildlife Management area, also in Burrillville, RI.
Ready to head out on an undeveloped section of the SNETT, in Uxbridge
Where to go on our bike and be able to maintain a safe distance from others when we are out? We usually avoid riding on roads because of the danger of cars not giving enough space as we ride. But traffic has been almost non-existent as we stay home during the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, and suddenly our rural roads are more attractive places to wander on to explore the countryside.
Marjorie Turner Hollman 