Newport to Boston?

I think you'll have to take a ferry to get from Jamestown to Newport. The big bridge is no-bikes.
But the ferry would definitely be a scenic route!

From Newport you can first head to the west side of the island and take the "Burma Road" which used
to be a naval station road and is now a bike path. Head north and leave the island via the Mt. Hope
Bridge, a beautiful crossing, which will put you into Bristol where you'll pick up the East Bay
Bike Path.

Don't do the bike path on a weekend day because it will be too slow and crowded.

Get a RI Bike Map -- that will help you get out of Providence and up to the MA boundary.

And find alternate routes to Rt. 1 which will be full of cars & malls, and boring.

Get a Rubel's Bike Map for Eastern Mass., to help you put together your route out of Providence
to Boston.

Are you figuring 3-4 days for this trip including your return? That may not be enough time! I
calculate 1 long day for Narragansett to Providence via Newport, with NO stops or sightseeing. Then
1 long day for Providence to Boston, since you won't be going as directly (60 mi., 1 hour) as cars
do. More like 75 miles, probably.

Good luck -- let me know if you're doing this ride on a recumbent.

C.C.

Quoted message said:

This summer, I'm hoping to complete the last northern phase of my route along the
Connecticut/Rhode Island shore to Boston. So far, I've covered the coast from Bridgeport, CT to
Narragansett, RI. Someday, I'll fill in the part between Greenwich and Bridgeport, but before any
more catastrophes strike us here in the US, I'd like to cover Narragansett to Boston.

My idea is to use 1A out of Narragansett, cross over to Newport, pick up the East Bay Bike Path to
Providence, then take Rt. 1 the rest of the way to Boston. However, I'm open to suggestions, as
long as the route takes in both Newport and Providence.

I'm not a pedal pounder. My average speed on trips like this is probably 12-14 mph. My goal is to
suck up all the sights, sounds, and smells of the journey, so I'd like a scenic route that I can
tell my wife about when I get home. However, I'd say the most time I can spend is about 3-4 days
away from home (Narragansett takes me a day from the north shore of Long Island.)

Anybody have any ideas? Thanks in advance. Tom M

--
Low-Impact Rides in the NY/LI region www.geocities.com/NYRides

"Carol Cohen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> I think you'll have to take a ferry to get from Jamestown to Newport.

The big bridge is no-bikes. But the ferry would definitely be a scenic route!<<<<<

As far as I know, they have a "Rack & Ride" program there. You place your bike on the front end of a
bus and get shuttled across. I don't know how often the buses pass through, though.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> From Newport you can first head to the west side of the island and

take the "Burma Road" which used to be a naval station road and is now a bike path.<<<<

The last time I was in Newport, I asked a bunch of people about that bike path and nobody had ever
heard of it. A subsequent posting on this newsgroup drew all sorts of "boos" and "fehs" about what
they termed the "so-called Burma Road Bike Path." What's YOUR experience with it?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Head north and leave the island via the Mt. Hope Bridge, a beautiful

crossing, which will put you into Bristol where you'll pick up the East Bay Bike Path.<<<<

I've done the East Bay path before. Great scenery for the first mile or so. Does it get scenic again
after the town with the ice cream shop and the senior citizen's home? I think it's called
Eastchester, or East something or other.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Get a RI Bike Map -- that will help you get out of Providence and up to

the MA boundary.<<<<

I've got one from a couple of years ago. Has it been updated?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> And find alternate routes to Rt. 1 which will be full of cars & malls,

and boring.<<<<<

I use 1A from Westerly through Misquamicut Beach. Then I usually return to 1 all the way to
Narragansett. I agree that Rt. 1 is not a great choice for scenery or excitement. Is it the same
once you get north of Providence?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> Are you figuring 3-4 days for this trip including your return? That

may not be enough time!<<<<<<

No. I'll only be going one way. And I may even take AMTRAK to Boston and ride south this time, just
because the train schedule (and bike-shipping ordeal) doesn't work out as well going the other way.
I calculate one day for New London to Narragansett, one shorter day from Narragansett to Newport,
one day from Newport to Providence, and one day from Providence to Boston. I guess I'll need a fifth
day to travel by train, huh? Or I'll just push a little harder each day and make it in four!

Thanks for your input!

Tom M

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>>> From Newport you can first head to the west side of the island and

take the "Burma Road" which used to be a naval station road and is now a bike path.<<<<

The last time I was in Newport, I asked a bunch of people about that bike path and nobody had ever
heard of it. A subsequent posting on this newsgroup drew all sorts of "boos" and "fehs" about what
they termed the "so-called Burma Road Bike Path." What's YOUR experience with it?

I rode south on it (toward Newport) and found it a wide, peaceful street with no traffic, since
they had declared it a bike path. Views are westerly past Navy drydock ships and the bay. I wish it
were a longer ride because the main road north & south is narrow, heavily trafficked and in places
has no shoulder.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> Head north and leave the island via the Mt. Hope Bridge, a beautiful

crossing, which will put you into Bristol where you'll pick up the East Bay Bike Path.<<<<

I've done the East Bay path before. Great scenery for the first mile or so. Does it get scenic
again after the town with the ice cream shop and the senior citizen's home? I think it's called
Eastchester, or East something or other.

If you start it from the east or Bristol end, you'll see open bay areas, cross a wooden level former
RR bridge where people go fishing over the rails, pass Colt State Park with its merry-go-round, then
it gets a bit "behind the industries" for a while, then parkland again. I think you might have seen
East Providence, a separate city. Or maybe it was once every hundred years and you were in
Brigadoon.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> Get a RI Bike Map -- that will help you get out of Providence and up to

the MA boundary.<<<<

I've got one from a couple of years ago. Has it been updated?

No, but then Rhode Island hasn't been updated since about 1970 🙂

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> And find alternate routes to Rt. 1 which will be full of cars & malls,

and boring.<<<<<

I use 1A from Westerly through Misquamicut Beach. Then I usually return to 1 all the way to
Narragansett. I agree that Rt. 1 is not a great choice for scenery or excitement. Is it the same
once you get north of Providence?

Worse.

Do you have a Rubel E. MA map? Here's their website:

bikemaps.combikemaps.comOpen ↗

C.C.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

"Carol Cohen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>>> I think you'll have to take a ferry to get from Jamestown to Newport.

The big bridge is no-bikes. But the ferry would definitely be a scenic route!<<<<<

As far as I know, they have a "Rack & Ride" program there. You place your bike on the front end of
a bus and get shuttled across. I don't know how often the buses pass through, though.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>>> From Newport you can first head to the west side of the island and

take the "Burma Road" which used to be a naval station road and is now a bike path.<<<<

The last time I was in Newport, I asked a bunch of people about that bike path and nobody had ever
heard of it. A subsequent posting on this newsgroup drew all sorts of "boos" and "fehs" about what
they termed the "so-called Burma Road Bike Path." What's YOUR experience with it?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> Head north and leave the island via the Mt. Hope Bridge, a beautiful

crossing, which will put you into Bristol where you'll pick up the East Bay Bike Path.<<<<

I've done the East Bay path before. Great scenery for the first mile or so. Does it get scenic
again after the town with the ice cream shop and the senior citizen's home? I think it's called
Eastchester, or East something or other.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> Get a RI Bike Map -- that will help you get out of Providence and up to

the MA boundary.<<<<

I've got one from a couple of years ago. Has it been updated?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> And find alternate routes to Rt. 1 which will be full of cars & malls,

and boring.<<<<<

I use 1A from Westerly through Misquamicut Beach. Then I usually return to 1 all the way to
Narragansett. I agree that Rt. 1 is not a great choice for scenery or excitement. Is it the same
once you get north of Providence?

I would highly recommend getting of Rt 1 once you get to Narragansett. Take the Narragansett/Point
Judith exit, and head straight east. Once you get past the Stop&Shop, it will take you through about
a mile of residential 2-lane, and will bring you out at the Narragansett town beach, where you can
pick up 1A. It's also possible to pick up scenic 1A further south and run up Ocean Road, which is a
nice scenic ride. It is somewhat narrow in places with a fair amount of traffic, but the cars are
used to bikes and walkers and they don't go too fast, so it's not bad riding. I don't know exactly
how you would do that, though; it's not my normal route. Once you get past the Beach you get nice
wide shoulders with lots of bikes and runners; that's one of the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen's regular
ride routes. To ride across the Jamestown bridge, you need to be on the sidewalk, which doesn't have
a good access route; I've never done it, but I think you have to lift your bike over the guard rail.

IIRC, Rt. 1 is far more commercialized once you get past Providence, though it's been a long time
since I've been on that section.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>>> Are you figuring 3-4 days for this trip including your return? That

may not be enough time!<<<<<<

No. I'll only be going one way. And I may even take AMTRAK to Boston and ride south this time,
just because the train schedule (and bike-shipping ordeal) doesn't work out as well going the
other way. I calculate one day for New London to Narragansett, one shorter day from Narragansett
to Newport, one day from Newport to Providence, and one day from Providence to Boston. I guess
I'll need a fifth day to travel by train, huh? Or I'll just push a little harder each day and make
it in four!

Where in Narragansett are you starting? At the ferry dock in Galilee? You're probably only looking
at 25 miles or so from there to Newport, so you could probably make it almost to Bristol or East
Providence from Narragansett if you wanted to push a bit.

--
Dave Kerber Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

NYRides said:

I use 1A from Westerly through Misquamicut Beach. Then I usually return to 1 all the way to
Narragansett. I agree that Rt. 1 is not a great choice for scenery or excitement. Is it the same
once you get north of Providence?

Tom M

Rt 1 North of Providence is multi-lane, high speed traffic (60 MPH+) with a few random traffic
lights. There are short stretches where there may be a few trees or a swamp, but other than that it
is mega-mall, auto-dealership heaven until it gets to Dedham, Mass. At that point, what used to be
Rt 1 is no longer called that (changed about 5 years ago?). The marked route 1 joins I-93 and is not
available for bikes. US 1 between North Attleboro and Dedham is known as the Automile, and has the
highest concentration of cars for sale in the US. (I have heard that there are 20 dealerships with
8,000 cars for sale in five miles). I avoid driving there, definitely not someplace I would bicycle.

One alternative to consider is Route 138. I'm not sure how to route through Fall River (sections of
138 there are limited access divided/no bikes), but from there it's not bad all the way to Route 28
in Boston. This route would bypass Providence, but would take in a number of quiet New England towns
in southeastern Mass.

Austin

Quoted message said:

NYRides said:

I use 1A from Westerly through Misquamicut Beach. Then I usually return to 1 all the way to
Narragansett. I agree that Rt. 1 is not a great choice for scenery or excitement. Is it the same
once you get north of Providence?

Tom M

Rt 1 North of Providence is multi-lane, high speed traffic (60 MPH+) with a few random traffic
lights. There are short stretches where there may be a few trees or a swamp, but other than that
it is mega-mall, auto-dealership heaven until it gets to Dedham, Mass. At that point, what used to
be Rt 1 is no longer called that (changed about 5 years ago?). The marked route 1 joins I-93 and
is not available for bikes. US 1 between North Attleboro and Dedham is known as the Automile, and
has the highest concentration of cars for sale in the US. (I have heard that there are 20
dealerships with 8,000 cars for sale in five miles). I avoid driving there, definitely not
someplace I would bicycle.

One alternative to consider is Route 138. I'm not sure how to route through Fall River (sections
of 138 there are limited access divided/no bikes), but from there it's not bad all the way to
Route 28 in Boston. This route would bypass Providence, but would take in a number of quiet New
England towns in southeastern Mass.

Austin

If you can manage the 3 miles on Rt. 1 just to get from Providence to Pawtucket, you can pick up
the MA recommended roads there; such as Rt. 118 heading east toward Taunton. Just north of Taunton
pick up Bay Rd. which will give you about 13 miles of wide-shouldered pleasant riding which
parallels Rt. 138 slightly to the west but has much less traffic and no traffic lights. After that
stretch you can plan (via Rubel's bike map) just how you want to enter Boston: from the southwest,
from the south, etc.

You don't have to go as far east as Fall River to get onto the best roads going north.

C.C.

Thanks for all the info so far, everybody. To get a little more specific, I always stay at the
Atlantic House right on the water in Narragansett. My cycling route to Newport would probably be the
same as my driving route, which continues along the road that runs in front of the hotel pretty much
all the way to the bridges.

As far as strip malls and auto dealers: as long as most of the trip is fairly scenic, I don't mind
5-10 miles of civilization here and there. I mostly want to make sure I hit Providence this time, as
I've never been there. And I really don't care where I enter Boston, as long as it's reasonably
safe. I've been there many times, so this wouldn't be my first impression.

Anyway, please continue. I'm cutting and pasting all these comments into a single file for my
summer trip.

Thanks again. TM

--
Low-Impact Rides in the NY/LI region www.geocities.com/NYRides "Carol Cohen" <[email hidden]>
wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

NYRides said:

I use 1A from Westerly through Misquamicut Beach. Then I usually

return to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

1 all the way to Narragansett. I agree that Rt. 1 is not a great

choice for

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

scenery or excitement. Is it the same once you get north of

Providence?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Tom M

Rt 1 North of Providence is multi-lane, high speed traffic (60 MPH+) with a few random traffic
lights. There are short stretches where there may be a few trees or a swamp, but other than that
it is mega-mall, auto-dealership heaven until it gets to Dedham, Mass. At that point, what used
to be Rt 1 is no longer called that (changed about 5 years ago?). The marked route 1 joins I-93
and is not available for bikes. US 1 between North Attleboro and Dedham is known as the
Automile, and has the highest concentration of cars for sale in the US. (I have heard that there
are 20 dealerships with 8,000 cars for sale in five miles). I avoid driving there, definitely
not someplace I would bicycle.

One alternative to consider is Route 138. I'm not sure how to route through Fall River (sections
of 138 there are limited access divided/no bikes), but from there it's not bad all the way to
Route 28 in Boston. This route would bypass Providence, but would take in a number of quiet New
England towns in southeastern Mass.

Austin

If you can manage the 3 miles on Rt. 1 just to get from Providence to Pawtucket, you can pick up
the MA recommended roads there; such as Rt. 118 heading east toward Taunton. Just north of Taunton
pick up Bay Rd. which will give you about 13 miles of wide-shouldered pleasant riding which
parallels Rt. 138 slightly to the west but has much less traffic and no traffic lights. After that
stretch you can plan (via Rubel's bike map)

just

Quoted message said:

how you want to enter Boston: from the southwest, from the south, etc.

You don't have to go as far east as Fall River to get onto the best roads going north.

C.C.

Hi Route 1A is a nice ride and would enter Boston through Dedham Ma to West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain.
It joins up with Rt 1 in Dedham. 1A turns into Washington st in Dedham, this is OK but leads into an
inner city part of town. The best route is not neccesarily Rt 1 at this point either as the VFW
parkway and Jamaica Pond Pkwy are heavy traffic with no shoulder. Most of the parkway system in
Boston, while very pretty, is traversible by bike but with no shoulders and the traffic can be
fierce. Not for the faint of heart.

Rt 138 is a very nice ride from RI but enters Boston through Mattapan. I would not enter Boston this
way. I can give you detailed directions through West Roxbury and JP.

Good luck Pixelbrainz

NYRides <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thanks for all the info so far, everybody. To get a little more specific,

I

Quoted message said:

always stay at the Atlantic House right on the water in Narragansett. My cycling route to Newport
would probably be the same as my driving route, which continues along the road that runs in front
of the hotel pretty much all the way to the bridges.

As far as strip malls and auto dealers: as long as most of the trip is fairly scenic, I don't mind
5-10 miles of civilization here and there. I mostly want to make sure I hit Providence this time,
as I've never been there. And I really don't care where I enter Boston, as long as it's reasonably
safe. I've been there many times, so this wouldn't be my first impression.

Anyway, please continue. I'm cutting and pasting all these comments into

a

Quoted message said:

single file for my summer trip.

Thanks again. TM

--
Low-Impact Rides in the NY/LI region www.geocities.com/NYRides "Carol Cohen"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

NYRides wrote:
> I use 1A from Westerly through Misquamicut Beach. Then I usually

return to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> 1 all the way to Narragansett. I agree that Rt. 1 is not a great

choice for

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> scenery or excitement. Is it the same once you get north of

Providence?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>
> Tom M

Rt 1 North of Providence is multi-lane, high speed traffic (60 MPH+) with a few random traffic
lights. There are short stretches where there may be a few trees or a swamp, but other than
that it is mega-mall, auto-dealership heaven until it gets to Dedham, Mass. At that point,
what used to be Rt 1 is no longer called that (changed about 5 years ago?). The marked route 1
joins I-93 and is not available for bikes. US 1 between North Attleboro and Dedham is known as
the Automile, and has the highest concentration of cars for sale in the US. (I have heard that
there are 20 dealerships with 8,000 cars for sale in five miles). I avoid driving there,
definitely not someplace I would bicycle.

One alternative to consider is Route 138. I'm not sure how to route through Fall River
(sections of 138 there are limited access divided/no bikes), but from there it's not bad all
the way to Route 28 in Boston. This route would bypass Providence, but would take in a number
of quiet New England towns in southeastern Mass.

Austin

If you can manage the 3 miles on Rt. 1 just to get from Providence to Pawtucket, you can pick up
the MA recommended roads there; such as Rt.

118

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

heading east toward Taunton. Just north of Taunton pick up Bay Rd.

which

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

will give you about 13 miles of wide-shouldered pleasant riding which parallels Rt. 138 slightly
to the west but has much less traffic and no traffic lights. After that stretch you can plan
(via Rubel's bike map)

just

Quoted message said:

how you want to enter Boston: from the southwest, from the south, etc.

You don't have to go as far east as Fall River to get onto the best

roads

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

going north.

C.C.

Carol Cohen said:

Get a Rubel's Bike Map for Eastern Mass., to help you put together your route out of Providence
to Boston.

Depending on how scenic you want to go, another possible planning resource is the book "Short Bike
Rides in Eastern Massachusetts." (Short = about 30 mile loops.)

This will not get you to Boston, but if you can incorporate pieces of the rides into your route
(which ought to be possible) you will enjoy some exceptionally nice biking, which you'd be unlikely
to find working from a map.

The book emphasizes scenery, empty roads, and history. It has a lot of rides in SE Mass. and
Rhode Island.

I've used routes from this book in combination with the Rubel's map to plan longer rides that have
been a lot of fun.

There is an older edition called simply "Short Bike Rides in Massachusetts" that should do
about as well.