Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution - Blackstone River & Canal Heritage Park
Written: Dec 29 '06
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Pros: Hiking, skiing and paddling all available, Immense history, Plenty of events
Cons: Too bad it couldn't cover the whole Blackstone River and Canal system
The Bottom Line: For anyone nearby, at least stop at River Bend Farm to get a better idea of the immense history of the area. If you have time walk a few trails!
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| jps246's Full Review: Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park |
If you’re in the southern portion of Massachusetts Worcester County and you’re looking for a place to go for a walk, a paddle, or somewhere to discover the history of the area, then stopping at the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park is well worth a visit.
The park, following the Blackstone River and Canal as it travels across the southern portion of Worcester County towards Rhode Island, has hiking, biking, site-seeing, and paddling opportunities that should satisfy almost anyone. Not only that, the park protects portions of the river that started the Industrial Revolution – from Worcester to Providence, the Blackstone River provided the power for the Nation’s first mills.
Where is the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage Park?
The 1,000 acres of the park straddles the town line between the Towns of Uxbridge in the south and Northbridge to the north. Access to the park is provided by several different road crossings and pull-offs and at the visitor center located on Oak Street in Uxbridge.
The visitor center, located at an old farm (River Bend Farm) along the Blackstone Canal, is off of Oak Street, which can be reached from either Route 16 or Hartford Avenue, both of which travel through Uxbridge. Route 16 intersections with Route 146 just to the west. Ample parking is available at the site.
What can you do?
River Bend Farm is home to the Rangers’ headquarters and a visitor center. This visitors center has several different displays, dioramas and interpretive exhibits open to the public. They provide good information on the history of the canal and the Blackstone River, a look at the Towns along the Blackstone River and a look at how the canal was built and operated. River Bend Farm also hosts concerts and other activities in its large fields and Rangers are available to answer questions and provide directions.
Right from the farm, all the other park’s activities are available – you can cross the bridge over the canal and begin walking on the park’s network of trails or you can carry your boat down to the canal or to the river just upstream a bit and start paddling.
There are several other access points on Route 16, Hartford Avenue and several other roads that cross the park throughout Uxbridge and Northbridge. These provide access to more distant portions of the park and also provide the opportunity to take longer walks so you can leave a vehicle at both points.
One of the most interesting locations in the park is at Lookout Rock, a large cliff along the slopes of the Blackstone Valley that overlooks the river, the canal and much of surrounding areas. It can be reached either from the Trailhead along Hartford Avenue and is an easy walk for just about anyone with a rewarding ending.
My biggest use of the park was for paddling. We used to live nearby so we would always be over in the river and in the canal. It was easy to launch a boat in the canal, paddle upstream and then enter the river and paddle even further upstream. The majority of the Blackstone is fairly sluggish and while in places it isn’t exactly easy to paddle upstream, you can make it quite a distance up the river and then on the way back down, you can float along with the current and enjoy the river.
One of the nicest areas to paddle is to the north of Hartford Avenue, where an old dam provides a wonderful area of paddling upstream on the river and the canal. The first time I paddled through there, I couldn’t believe where I was – it felt like I was out in the middle of nowhere once I got beyond earshot of Hartford Avenue. The floodplain and the slopes of the Blackstone Valley are all undeveloped in this area, wildlife is everywhere and it’s just a wonderful place to be exploring.
While not in the park, but part of the Federal National Heritage Corridor for the Blackstone River, you can also explore the Blackstone River Gorge where the river has carved a deep gorge as it goes through the Town of Blackstone and in the Town of Millville, you can view the Millville Lock, which is the best preserved of the locks along the Blackstone.
Anywhere you go in the park you are exposed to both nature and history. You can follow the restored portions of the canal or you can strike out on your own and find vestiges of the canal and its locks in the woods. You can hike to great viewpoints, ride your bike along the old towpath or just hunker down and watch the Great Blue Herons flying over the river, or the turtles swimming in the river and basking in the sun along the banks.
For More Information
The Massachusetts Department of Recreation maintains a small website for the park with some basic information at - http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/blst.htm
If you want information on the Federal National Heritage Corridor, the National Park Service has a website at - http://www.nps.gov/blac/
Final Thoughts
When I lived in Uxbridge, I took every chance I could get to get out into this park. It was a wonderful thing to have in our backyard and gave us an excuse to use our kayaks as much as possible and if the conditions weren’t right for that, to get out and explore the river and canal corridor on foot. I even spent plenty of time at the visitor’s center, getting a good dose of the region’s history. In the wintertime we went cross country skiing along the hiking trails of the park.
Now that I live a bit further away from the park, I’m not there as often, but I still do visit, with the kayaks on the roof or the hiking boots in the back.
For anyone traveling through the area, I’d suggest at the very least, a stop at River Bend Farm to visit the visitors’ center to get a better idea of the immense history of the area. If you have the time, I’d also suggest a hike out to Lookout Point – it’s a wonderful view of the park and the surrounding area.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: Anytime
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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