Wood/Pawcatuck Camping

I’ve been thinking about easy overnight camping, and for local trips you can’t beat the Wood/Pawcatuck.  There are actually three campsites on the Pawcatuck River - Stony Point on Worden Pond, Carolina Management Campsite below the Lower Shannock Falls, and the Burlingame Canoe Campsites.  There is also a bushwhack site at the convergence of the Wood and Pawcatuck and at the Grills Preserve of the Westerly Land Trust a couple of miles downstream from Bradford. 

It would be pretty easy to do a respectable 3-day trip on the Pawcatuck. It's probably a spring trip so you can get through Great Swamp.

Day 1 (6 miles)

• Taylor Landing to Worden Pond – 6 miles
• Camp at Stoney Point

Day 2 (12.5 miles)

• Worden Pond to Biscuit City – 5 miles
• Biscuit City to Shannock – 2.5 miles (portage Horseshoe Dam)
• Shannonck to Richmond – 5 miles
• Camp at the Carolina Canoe Campsite

Day 3 (8 miles)

• Richmond to Burdickville – 5 miles
• Burdickville to Bradford – 3 miles
• Bradford to Potter Hill – 7 miles 
  

You could extend the trip by going another 7-miles to Potter Hill or 13-miles to Westerly.  You could also camp at the Boot-leg site at the convergence of the Wood River or at Burlingame in night 2.

There are no official campsites on the Wood River, but there are a couple of bootleg sites.  It looks like the best is about 2 miles down from the Route 165 on the left side of the river up a steep bank.  It is located where the river takes a sharp right turn just before it opens up and enters Frying Pan Pond.  You could do a three-day trip that includes the Wood River, but there are a lot of dams to portage.

Day 1 (2 miles)

• Route 165 to bootleg site above Frying Pan Pond
• Camp at bootleg site

Day 2 (17 miles)

• Frying Pan Pond to Barberville – 2 miles (portage Barberville Dam)
• Barberville to Wyoming – 3 miles (portage Wyoming Dam)
• Wyoming to Switch Road – 1.5 miles (portage Hope Valley Mill Dam)
• Switch Road to Woodville – 4.5 miles (portage Woodville Dam)
• Woodville to Alton – 3 miles (portage Alton Dam)
• Alton to Burdickville – 3 miles
• Camp at Burlingame

Day 3 (16 miles)

• Burdickville to Bradford – 3 miles (portage Bradford Dam)
• Bradford to Potter Hill – 7 miles (portage Potter Hill Dam)
• Potter Hill to Westerly – 6 miles

Overnight trips are easier.  I have put-in at Switch Road on the Wood River, camped at Burlingame (actually, we camped at the bushwhack site at the convergence of the Wood and Pawcatuck, but don’t tell anyone), and took out at Bradford – nice trip. You could put in at Shannock, camp at the Carolina Management Area or Burlingame, and continue down the Pawcatuck as far as you like. 

Lots of options – I’d like to do at least one overnight trip this summer.