While most people walk or bike the new Alfred J. Lima Quequechan River Trail, the newly-created park is also an ideal location for kayaking or canoeing. Partners Executive Director David Weed took advantage of that opportunity and kayaked the length of the open river on July 1, 2016. "As fabulous as the views from the Trail are from land, the view from the water is even more spectacular," he noted. From the water lilies to the wildlife -- including birds, turtles and muskrats --  frequent the area, which has been untouched for over 100 years, is a genuine piece of nature right in the center of the City. "People who have had little access to the natural world are now able to walk a few blocks to escape the man-made world and enjoy nature," added Weed. The project  created a bicycle and walking path that runs over a former railroad bed to connect with Britland Park and Rodman Street. Funded by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and by the Gateway City Park Program of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the trail will eventually open up nearly two miles of a natural habitat right in the middle of some of the lowest income sections of the City. Click here for a three-and-a-half minute video taken from the kayak. Click here for 50 hi-res photos from the trip. Click here for views in October 2015 and here for views in March 2016. For more information about walks in the City, go to www.WalkFallRiver.org. 

(Top row) Residents enjoy the view from the kayak and canoe launch at Britland Park at the end of 17th Street near the Fall River Police Station in the Flint. (Rows two and three) As the kayak moves out into the river, both pond lilies and water lilies are growing in abundance, (Row four) The navigable portion of the River ends just past the Quequechan Street Bridge at the east end where it flows in a culvert under Route 195 from South Watuppa Pond. (Row five) A Savannah Sparrow perches on some grass while an Eastern Painted Turtle suns itself on a rock and a muskrat moves across the water. (Row six) Bikers, walkers and roller bladers enjoy the water views from the Trail. (Bottom two rows) Spectacular views of the mills and bridges can most easily be seen from the water.