Plummers Landing to Route 16 - April 27, 2025

Hole at the bottom of the Millville Rapid

With the rain on Saturday, I decided to stay local and see what would come up. Aaron was game, so we decided to run the section of the Blackstone River from Plummers Landing to Route 16.

The original plan was to run the section from River Bend Farm to the Gorge, but we scouted the Millville Rapid and found a large hole at the bottom due to high water. It was smiling at us (a good sign), but with only two of us we still decided to take a pass and run the section from Plummers Landing down to Route 16.

Heading down form Plummers Landing

The river was at a nice level for the run – 4-feet on the Northbridge gage. The section from Plummers Landing down to River Bend Farm is in a considerable state of flux with the river constantly eroding its banks and creating new channels. 

About a mile downstream, the river breached the old Blackstone Canal on the right, and much of the water now flows down the old canal trench. The canal is blocked with trees, so you need to stay left to remain in the river. From there, the river twists and turns, and it is a challenge to maneuver around the s-turns and through the strainers.

Goat Hill Lock

Eventually, we entered the calm water of Rice City Pond and paddled over to check out the Goat Hill Lock from the old Blackstone Canal. The Blackstone Canal opened in 1828 and utilized a series of 49 locks to move the canal boats up and down the 450-foot difference in elevation from Providence to Worcester. This is one of only two remaining locks – the other is the Millville Lock just downstream of the Millville Rapid.

We stayed right on Rice City Pond and paddled down the flooded-out section of the old Blackstone Canal to the stone-arch bridge at Hartford Avenue. From there, we crossed over to the river to continue our run down to Route 16. 

Running the broken dam at Route 16

Like the section below Plummers Landing, the section through River Bend Farm twists and turns around s-turns and through low-hanging trees. You need to be careful to avoid the fast moving water that pushes you into the strainers on the outside of turns.

Rather than portaging over to the canal, we continued downstream to run the broken dam at Route 16. In spite of a large strainer in the middle, there was an easy line to the left. We ran the drop and did a little surfing before calling it a day.

Links:

My Pictures

Northbridge Gage

Plummers Landing to River Bend Farm Paddle Map

Urban Explorers Guide to the Blackstone River