The colors of fall illuminate every corner of Rhode Island, but they may be brightest in the Blackstone Valley. In the state’s northern tier, away from the moderating influence of the ocean, the nights are typically cooler and the altitude just a little bit higher — both factors that accelerate the leaf changes that lead to the brilliant reds, glowing oranges, and warm yellows that we associate with foliage season.

This season, more than ever, may be the perfect one to make the Blackstone Valley the destination of a leaf-peeping trip. With gas prices high and everyone concerned about global warming, one way to reduce our “carbon footprint” on the environment is to skip the long car trip to Vermont or New Hampshire and instead stick closer to home.

Fortunately, there are several ways to appreciate the foliage as it changes in northern Rhode Island without driving any farther than Lincoln and Cumberland.

If you’re a bicyclist, you need no better excuse than a sunny day to explore the recently extended Blackstone Bikeway, which runs like a spine through the colorful region from Lincoln north to the Woonsocket line. Eventually, the bike path will continue southward into downtown Pawtucket, and northward towards Worcester, but for now the paved path extends from the old Lonsdale Drive-In on John Street (Route 123) in Valley Falls to the Woonsocket town line just north of the intersection of Routes 126 and 99 in Manville, a distance of about seven miles, or 14 round-trip. (You can extend that by a mile or so — and pick up a doughnut and Turbo coffee to refuel for the rest of the ride — if you detour up a hill to the Blackstone River State Park Visitor Center, which has a Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin Robbins restaurant inside.)

If you haven’t been on the Blackstone Bikeway in a while, you’ll see some new additions. At the southern end, just north of Route 123, the Pratt Dam provides a scenic way to pedal across the river while viewing tumbling water, and a little further north, the long-awaited opening of the Martin Street Bridge earlier this year reconnected two sections of the bikeway that had been separated while construction of the bridge was underway.

Along its now seven-mile length, the Blackstone Bikeway provides glorious views of the river and of the foliage along its banks reflected in the water. The bike path crosses back and forth over the river at several spots, and there are places to pull over and view the water from several vantage points. Other sights to see include the 1835 Wilbur Kelly House transportation museum and the historic brick Ashton Mill, both near the base of the soaring arches of the viaduct that carries Route 116 over the river.

Many bicyclists call the Blackstone their favorite bike path in Rhode Island because it offers a combination of water views, rural scenery, and fewer traffic intersections than the East Bay path, so you can keep on rolling. (Just beware of those walkers who don’t understand that “Walk on the left facing bicyclists” means that walkers are to yield to bicyclists, who have the right of way in both lanes.)

The best place to begin the Blackstone Bikeway is from the parking lot on John Street (Route 123) next to the big sign for the Lonsdale Drive-In theatre. (If you begin from a second parking lot about a mile to the west on Route 123, you will not ride over the Pratt Dam part of the path.) To the south of this point, the path is under construction where it crosses the Lonsdale Marsh via a long wooden boardwalk bridge similar to the one at Bristol’s Audubon Environmental Education Center.

As you pedal north, there are a few places where the paved bike path forks, yet there are no signs to indicate which way is the through route. In all cases, stick to the right fork, as the left ones are neighborhood access points to the path. At the Woonsocket town line, the paved path ends — for now. By next fall, the next segment should be completed.

Pedaling to paddling

There’s more than one way to see the colors of fall along the Blackstone River. If you don’t want to pedal, you can paddle a kayak or canoe on the river. A new outfitter has set up shop this year on Mendon Road (Route 122 where it intersects Route 123 at the Blackstone Bikeway).

Owner Mark Pawlitschek runs weekend foliage kayak and canoe tours of the river as it runs through the Lonsdale Marsh. (Some portions of the river to the north would normally be open for tours, but this year they are not because of low water levels.) His Blackstone Valley Outfitters shop sells kayaks, canoes, fishing gear, guidebooks, maps and other equipment for river trips.

Kayaks rent for $35 per day, or $45 for a tandem (two-person) kayak. Canoes are $40 per day.

Group tours guided by Pawlitschek are offered on weekends during October. The 3-hour tours cost $25 per person if you rent a boat, or $10 if you use your own.

Blackstone Valley Outfitters is located at 2 Mendon Rd., Cumberland. For information, visit www.bvori.com or call (401) 312-0369.

Check our listings for other kayak outfitters offering foliage tours in October. In Wickford, the Kayak Centre has trips in southern Rhode Island this Sunday and next Sunday ( www.kayakcentre.com or (888-732-5292). In Bristol, Ocean State Adventures has a kayak tour Saturday ( www.kayakri.com or 401-254-4000).

Another way to view changing foliage along the Blackstone River is aboard the Blackstone Explorer, a 49-passenger flat-bottom riverboat that runs tours of the river from Market Square, Woonsocket, including a special 75-minute Fall Foliage Trip Oct. 20, cider included, for $12 adults, $9 children. For information on the riverboat tours, and on the Blackstone River Valley, visit www.tourblackstone.com or call (401) 724-2200.

Hiking and driving, too

There are great places to enjoy the foliage on foot in the Blackstone Valley, too.

Ten miles of trails through 627-acre Lincoln Woods State Park are easily accessible from entrances on either Route 146 or Route 123. You’ll see the colors of the leaves reflected in the water of Olney Pond.

And to the north, you can make a short driving tour from the village of Arnold Mills on Nate Whipple Highway (Route 120) to Reservoir Road in Diamond Hill, Cumberland. The road bisects the Diamond Hill Reservoir and offers views of foliage reflected in its waters. Diamond Hill has long been a favorite of Rhode Islanders seeking a close-to-home fall foliage tour that’s long on views and short on gas consumption.