Ride the Blackstone to the Old Canal
Central Massachusetts / Worcester–Millbury, Massachusetts
Activity
Biking / River Greenway
Difficulty
Easy–moderate / paved greenway
Distance
6 mi round trip
Elevation gain
~200 ft
Duration
~45–90 min
Route
Out & back
The adventure
Ride Worcester's paved Blackstone corridor to Millbury and back while the river's industrial past keeps surfacing beside the trail.
Roll south from the Worcester Visitor Center and stay on the paved Blackstone River Greenway until you've covered the full three-mile corridor toward Millbury. Find the surviving canal history near the southern end, turn the bike north again and ride all the way back to Paul Clancy Way.
Urban river corridor with wetlands, rail infrastructure and former industrial land
What you'll do
Start at Blackstone River Greenway Visitor Center parking, then follow the route about 3 miles each way.
Expect paved.
Expect roughly 200 ft of climbing along the way.
What you're looking at
- The Worcester Visitor Center serves as the northern gateway to the regional heritage corridor.
- historic canal remnants
The story of the place
The corridor preserves evidence of the Blackstone Canal, a transportation project central to the valley's nineteenth-century industrial development.
Once you're there
Park free at the Blackstone River Greenway Visitor Center at 3 Paul Clancy Way. Join the paved path directly from the visitor-center property and ride south along the Blackstone River through the Worcester–Millbury corridor.
Stay on the off-road greenway rather than continuing onto Worcester's on-road connections. At the end of the established three-mile segment, turn around and retrace the paved trail to the Visitor Center.
Don't miss
At the southern turnaround area, look for the surviving Blackstone Canal segment. River, railroad and canal infrastructure all crowd into the same corridor here.
Good to know
- Access
- No permit or reservation identified for ordinary individual cycling.
- Best time to go
- Paved trail is generally available year-round; snow, ice, flooding and maintenance can affect conditions.
- Hours
- Greenway sunrise to sunset
- Parking
- Free at Worcester Visitor Center.
- Visitor center
- Open on posted days/hours; trail remains an outdoor recreation resource independent of exhibit hours.
- Hazards
- Shared-use traffic, winter ice, localized flooding, road/access crossings
- Dogs
- Dogs are allowed and must remain leashed.
- PAVED FROM THE START
- The Worcester Visitor Center gives direct access to a paved three-mile Greenway segment with free parking.
- INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR
- The route follows the Blackstone River through land once dominated by mills, rail lines and canal infrastructure.
- GOOD BASE CAMP
- The Visitor Center has restrooms, a drinking fountain/bottle filler, exhibits and picnic space during posted hours.
- SHARE THE PATH
- The greenway is shared by walkers, runners and cyclists.
- Surface
- Paved multi-use path
- Managed by
- Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation / Massachusetts Department of Transportation — Blackstone River Greenway.
Please respect the place
- No motorized vehicles on the Greenway
- Keep dogs leashed
- Shared-use path — yield appropriately
- Remain on the paved greenway for the outing
Photos
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