22
Sep
Maps & Navigation
There are a number of great resources for finding your way around the Ocean State by bike! Here are a few of them that we find useful:
RIDOT bike map
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation releases a statewide bicycle map periodically. The 2011-2012 edition highlights more than 50 miles of off-road bikeways across Rhode Island’s network of eight major bike paths. The map includes RIDOT’s newest bike paths such as the 2.5-mile Quonset Bike Path and the 1-mile Warren Bike Path, and new bike path segments on the Blackstone River Bikeway, the Coventry Greenway (part of the Washington Secondary Bike Path) and the William C. O’Neill (South County) Bike Path. Designated parking lots for each path are also indicated on the map.
For experienced on-road cyclists, the map highlights hundreds of miles of roads marked as suitable and most suitable for cycling. The map also provides valuable information about steep grades and the direction of the uphill and downhill segments along these roads.
You can download the online version, but unfortunately RIDOT is no longer shipping print copies out.
Legend Bicycle map
Legend Bicycle, a bike shop on the East Side of Providence, produces a map that is a great resource and is very easy to use. It is available for purchase in their shop.
East Coast Greenway Trip Planner
The East Coast Greenway Alliance has an awesome online & mobile tool for planning rides on the routes that make up the East Coast Greenway. You can access it at map.greenway.org.
Google Maps
Google Maps does a pretty good job at recommending the best route along which to get from point A to point B by bike.
BikeNewport Map
BikeNewport produces a fantastic bike map of Newport County that is the best resource for navigating that portion of the state. They have an online version here.