Last Saturday Isaac and I went on a 10-mile walk along the East Coast Greenway, also known as the Coventry Greenway. This path is popular for walking, hiking, biking, horseback riding, dog walking and even roller skating! There are 48 total miles (77 km) of path of which 32.5 miles (52 km) is protected greenway.
We are lucky because the path is just over half a mile (1km) from our home in West Warwick. The section we entered was the Washington secondary bike path and then we headed West towards Connecticut. Even though we could hear the nearby road and traffic for the first few miles, it looked exactly like a paved path in a forest. The Pawtuxet River flowed alongside the path until we reached a large bridge overlooking the river.
We’ve been hiking every weekend for about two months now. All of our other hikes were in proper woodlands, such as the Big River Management Area. Surprisingly enough, we never saw any wild animals bigger than a large tadpole on any of these hikes. On this one 10 mile walk we saw a mommy deer with her fawn, a baby opossum and a bunny!
East Coast Greenway
“Connecting people to place from Maine to Florida.
Imagine a place where bicyclists, walkers, runners, inline skaters, horseback riders, wheelchair users, cross-country skiers and more — of all ages and abilities — feel safe for commuting and recreation. While out for a day’s ride, you may pass people traveling from state to state — or the entire East Coast.
The East Coast Greenway is a walking and biking route stretching 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida, connecting our nation’s most populated corridor. The East Coast Greenway is designed to transform the 15 states and 450 communities it connects through active and healthy lifestyles, sustainable transportation, community engagement, climate resilience, tourism, and more. The Greenway offers a safe place for bicyclists, walkers, runners, and more — of all ages and abilities — to commute, exercise, and visit new destinations.
The nonprofit East Coast Greenway Alliance leads the development of the trail network. We work with hundreds of volunteers, partner organizations, and officials at the local, state, regional and national level to continue moving more of the route onto protected paths. Together, we are connecting people to nature and communities via a safe, accessible Greenway.”
Greenway.org
What We Saw
We mostly walked on the Coventry Greenway part of the path. Since our goal was to go 10 miles, we only went 5 miles one way then turned back. Other than the animals, the coolest and most unexpected surprise was the pieces of old railroad tracks. There were several signs with information about the old railroad and the pathway along the way.
The entire 10 miles was relatively flat, which is part of the charm of this pathway. As a noob to biking, I hope to relearn on the East Coast Greenway. According to my trusty pedometer, we only gained 77 feet (23 meters) of elevation. Compared to our other hikes, even shorter ones, this is bliss!
Other than some pro-environmental graffiti, the path was in perfect condition. There was also very little trash compared to the other places we’ve been. Perhaps it is also a popular place for “plalking” or picking up litter as you walk. David Roosa is a notorious plalker so maybe we’ll take a page out of his book on our next walk here to make this path even more perfect!
Trestle Trail
Once Uber is a thing again, we are hoping to walk the other way up the East Coast Greenway. The particular section, called the Trestle Trail, goes from Coventry to Providence and it is 16 miles long! We would have to take an Uber or Taxi up to Providence and then walk on home. Knowing our pace for a 10 mile walk, I assume that this would take us no longer than five hours.
Hiking Tips
If you enjoy hiking, consider downloading the Trailforks app. This app shows you all sorts of trails near and far. It is user based and everyone who uses it can contribute. This keeps it ridiculously up to date with the status of paths, etc. We use it every time go on a hike! You can use the website without getting the app but the app offers way more. It also lets you download the trail info so that you can access it offline.
I personally like to hike with just my phone, but for longer hikes it’s a good idea to bring a few things. One thing I am strongly considering buying is a straw that purifies water! There are some other great things to check out on Amazon. Here are some links fo hiking boots for men and these for women.
There are also kits that include compact first aid supplies, survival tools, folding trekking poles and bracelets with essential life-saving tools.
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Great article about an amazing path!