HIKE EVERY CITY: Chapter 3
All roads and appetites lead to Providence
Every hike should end with a robust, calorie-rich meal that has you wiping your fingers on your socks (in the absence of a napkin, you understand.) And so there was never any doubt in my mind that the northeast HIKE EVERY CITY tour would conclude in Providence. As we’ve discussed in this newsletter, Providence is New England’s Great Valley for gourmands: a bounteous realm of bizarre heritage foods like pizza strips, stuffed quahog clams, and syrup-laden johnnycakes, as well as prize-winning restaurants and markets. But unlike the parks and forests that I explored in Philly and New York, the green spaces of Providence are often smaller and tougher to get lost in.
So how does one chart an urban hike across a city where the woodlands and wetlands are outmatched by pavement?
Taking inspiration from Willard, the African Queen, and Lykke Li, I followed the rivers.
Downtown Providence is a point of convergence for three waterways. From the west, the Woonasquatucket River flows past Olneyville and Federal Hill into the city center, merging with the Moshassuck River that enters Providence from the north. These two rivers ripple past the murals of Downtown before a third and much huskier river butts in from the east—the Seekonk River. All three rivers become the Providence River, which exits the city through the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier and empties into Narragansett Bay, where the Newporters sail and swim.
I started thinking: What if you could take a long hike across Providence that involved spending some quality time with each of its three rivers? In the same way that you can step back from listening to Nirvana and savor the contributions of its three members—the barn burner guitar riffage of Kurt Cobain, the tectonic drumbeats of Dave Grohl, the competent bass work of Krist Novoselic—I wanted to appreciate Providence’s waterways in a more piecemeal fashion. And so, I cooked up the Rivers Into Rivers Trail—an 11.8-mile journey along the Woonasquatucket, the Moshassuck, and the Seekonk, in that order, which also visits several culinary districts before finishing on the Michael S. Van Leesten Bridge for a money shot vista of Downtown Providence.
Having gotten a real bastard of a toe blister during my 27-mile New York thru-hike, I decided to make the Rivers Into Rivers Trail a two day affair as well. I set out in the early afternoon, after a busy morning of logging business expenses and searching the apartment for my missing windproof umbrella. A breezy drive down I-95 and a longer ride on a RIPTA metro bus to the far west side of Providence brought me to Lyman Avenue. From here, I walked past sleepy houses to the understated trailhead of the Woonasquatucket River Greenway, slathering on sunblock and donning my broad-brimmed outback hat. My outlook is this: when urban hiking territory becomes more urbanized, you should lean harder into the aesthetics of going on a backcountry hike.
The rivers of Providence have taken a beating over the last several decades, between being overlaid with highways and contaminated by development along their banks. And the “Woony River” Greenway exemplifies the tremendous work that activists and city planners have done to restore some of Providence’s natural environments. The greenway trail, which is paved and inviting to both hikers and cyclists, follows the rippling waterway through groves of trees and flowers, with enough shade to make the hike palatable to those who are moving at a hiker’s pace. As I hiked along the river, noting the places where rapids formed or the waters cascaded over small dropoffs, I saw cyclists, a posse of high school cross country runners, and at one point, a middle-aged couple sitting on the grass by the river and sharing a tender moment. Through the trees on the other side of the river, you could spot all the cars backed up on Route 6, which runs near-parallel to the Woonasquatucket in places. But just like the Bronx River Greenway in New York, the wall of deciduous leaves serves as a natural buffer.
After passing a charming fish ladder and entering the traffic-clogged center of Olneyville, I was tempted to pop into the famous New York System diner and avail myself of a Providence-style hot wiener bathed in mustard and beef sauce. But with almost 10 miles of trail left to hike, this seemed like a risky venture. From here, the leafier segments of the Woony River Greenway became more fleeting, and I soon found myself gingerly stepping around broken glass on the sidewalk. At one point, I happened upon a tire warehouse where the rusting barbed wire atop their fence had drooped downward, to the point where a pedestrian could walk right into it. I carefully pushed the barbed wire up and over the fence, pricking my pinkie finger on it as I released it. The contact didn’t draw blood, but just for good measure, I took a breather at the next wooded piece of the greenway—beside a modest waterfall—and applied antibiotic ointment to my pinkie from my first aid kit. (An essential item for any hike!)
Downtown Providence, where the Woonasquatucket meets the Moshassuck, is where local waters were once buried under the highway, before the city saw the good sense in daylighting the lost rivers so that they could be used recreationally. A quick climb up several flights of stairs beneath the hulking Providence Place Mall brought me to Waterplace Park, the river-fed lagoon where Barnaby Evans’ WaterFire Festival begins each summer and fall. (Imagine boats of torch bearers circling the lagoon, as new age music croons from speakers.) The cobblestone path that stems from the lagoon took me under a few bridges and soon, I was standing at the exact spot where the Moshassuck enters the picture! Unlike the more muscular Woony, the Moshassuck appeared shallow and placid—a draw for feathered friends. I spotted ducks, a swan, and even a heron making use of the river, in the shadow of the Providence train station.
I wanted to follow the tranquil Moshassuck further north, but to reach the Seekonk River while keeping the hike under 15 miles, it was necessary to make a diversion from the waterways and climb over College Hill. The Seekonk would be waiting on the other side of the hill, where Brown University, the Providence Athenaeum, and the tony homes of Benefit Street showcase of Providence’s gilded side. The steep ascent took me through the Roger Williams National Memorial Park, where several empty picnic tables made me regret declining to buy that hot wiener in Olneyville. As I approached the top end of Bowen Street, startled by the intense grade of the climb, the pavement ended at the edge of a shaggy pocket of forest, and I followed a rough-hewn path to Prospect Terrace Park. The city overlook here is a flat-out stunner and in my opinion, it outshines the urban vista from Neutaconkanut Hill (the highest point in Providence.)
At Thayer Street, the fast food equivalent of the Vegas Strip for Brown students, I finally gave in and procured two loaded pizza slices from Antonio’s, lowering them into my mouth like a sword swallower moments later at Pembroke Field. I enjoy pretending to be an Ivy League student in culinary circuits like this, where you get all the gratification and none of the obligations. Sated, I descended toward the Seekonk, passing field houses, residential houses, and crossing through the lovely Blackstone Boulevard Park—a greenway for walkers and bikers which is flanked by roads on both sides. But it’s surprisingly pleasant thanks to speed restrictions on those two roads. And through the greenway trees, I spotted an expanse of blue water straight ahead.
It would have to wait for Day 2 of the hike.
For the second “half” of the Rivers Into River Trail, I teamed up with my dear friend and fellow Little Rhody enthusiast Laura. The forecast had tilted from hazy sunshine to drenching rain AND Taylor Swift was performing a concert at Gillette Stadium, roughly halfway between Boston and Providence. Between the monsoon-like weather and the ripple effects of this Gathering of the Swifties, we knew we could be in for some surprises. But I didn’t expect the first to manifest in the aisles of the Cranston REI, where we stopped to pick up the cheapest rain gear that we could find (I had not managed to find my windproof umbrella.) As a store associate explained to us, there had been a run on their ponchos earlier that morning, given that the Taylor Swift concert was happening in an open-air venue that same evening. But in a munificient twist of fate, the associate recommended another poncho source in a nearby mall…
Both Laura and I had long been intrigued by the business model of Ocean State Job Lot, where you’re equally likely to walk in on a given day and encounter jaw-dropping sale prices on olive oil, portable air conditioning units, or third-rate Lego knockoffs. And our circuitous walk around the Providence store didn’t end when we found a shelf of $1 ponchos. For almost an hour, as the rain pattered against the store windows, we surveyed the goods du jour and spoke with a kindly manager who explained that the Rhode Island-based company buys overstock and overruns in bulk, and sells the booty at a discounted rate. We left the store in our ponchos, edified and ready for the hike. (It was now half past 2.) But as we drove toward Blackstone Boulevard, where I had concluded Day 1 of the hike, Laura mentioned a popular Mexican restaurant near Olneyville that she had heard about: La Lupita. We looked at each other wordlessly and then we looked at the gallons of rainwater pounding against the windshield.
20 minutes later, we were tucking into a colorful spread of deluxe tacos jacked up with fresh pico de gallo, nachos, and tres leches cake: the sort of thing you usually enjoy after a hike. But it felt right, as did kicking off our hike at 3:30pm, on the second leg of the Rivers Into Rivers Trail. Since I had knocked off the bulk of the trail mileage earlier, the final 4~ish miles would take us along the Seekonk River banks through the mysterious Blackstone Woods before delivering us to a scrubby bike path that begins behind a supermarket. From here, we would arrive at the manicured beauty of India Point Park: a riverside dream of a park, steps away from Narragansett Brewery. And the Downtown vista from the Michael S. Van Leesten Bridge would be the chef’s kiss.
The Blackstone Woods were overwhelming in their depth of greenery, and the nicely placed logs alongside the dirt paths gave the place a western vibe. Between that and the relentless rain, walking through this city forest reminded me of hiking near Seattle. And through the trees, the watery expanse of the Seekonk River was our north star. We didn’t encounter a single human being in the wood—perhaps unsurprisingly—but what we did encounter was a little riverside wetland where the birds were going apeshit, twittering and swooping around as I imagined thousands of Taylor Swift fans would soon be doing at Gillette Stadium. There was something touching about seeing the birds enjoying the downpour in such a concentrated place. In a way, that’s what Laura and I were doing: marveling at a tiny piece of Providence’s parks, on a day when most people were taking shelter. Roughly one mile in, we had already taken a perfect hike.
And so, quite happily, we decided to go home.
India Point Park and the Leesten bridge would be waiting for us on a sunnier day when we could actually enjoy the city views, we told ourselves. We could use the city buses to get around and take the commuter rail from Boston down to Providence, sparing ourselves the possible headache of dodging regional gridlock for another stadium concert. (Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran are coming to town soon, according to StubHub.) And we could finally scratch that hot wiener itch, at the day’s end. But YOU can do all of these things sooner. You can hike the Rivers Into Rivers Trail in a single day! You can lengthen it into a loop hike, passing through Roger Williams Park on the city’s south side! Or you can go rogue and chart your own hiking route across Providence parks, waterways, and restaurants! Just be sure you’re having a lot of fun, doing it all.
The American city, after all, is one of our most fruitful and surprising venues for fun.
Rivers Into Rivers Trail
Hike distance: 11.8 miles
Elevation gain: 413 feet
CLICK HERE for a trail map
