Pawcatuck River Overnight - April 18-19, 2026

Chuck running the Richmond Dam

There were a few different options for this weekend. I could have headed out to the Knightville section of the Westfield for the annual release, but my knee was still sore. I also could have joined Jonathan for his annual trip on the South Branch of the Pcat, but it seemed like it would be pretty low – poling level. Instead, I decided to do an overnight trip on the Pawcatuck.

Jim organized this trip for members of the Mid-Atlantic, New England, And Northeast Canoe Fanatics Facebook group. We would be putting in at John (Jay) Cronin River Access) in Richmond, camping at the boot-leg site at the confluence of the Wood River, and taking out at Bradford. The river was at a nice level – 300 cfs, 3-feet on the Wood River Junction gage.

Home for the night

It was drizzling as I drove down I-95, but it had stopped by the time I reached the put-in. We had six boats camping and two doing the run from Richmond to Bradford on Saturday. The forecast for rain on Sunday may have scared-off a few folks. We unloaded our gear, ran the shuttle and then headed downstream.

Chuck started us off by running the dam at the put-in. Even with a loaded boat he made it look easy. From there down to the campsite the river is narrow and we had to maneuver around numerous blow-downs. Chuck, Jim and Aaron had scouted it out a few weeks ago and cleared out a few strainers, so we were able to paddle through without too much difficulty.

Cinnamon rolls for breakfast

We arrived at the at the boot-leg site at around noon. This is a pretty site with lots of pine trees. Unfortunately, there was a fire in the area several years ago. Between the fire damage and strong winds, there are not lots of trees down around the site. Not as pretty as it was, but very easy to find firewood.

We got to work unloading our gear and setting up camp. Chuck brought Dynamite for lunch – good stuff. Eventually we got the evening fire going and cooked supper. For me it was steak and home-fried potatoes. I also cooked apple crisp in the Dutch oven for dessert. I lasted around the fire until around 10:00, and then called it a night.

Heading out on Sunday morning

I finally rolled out of the tent at around 6:00 on Sunday. I got the coffee going and started cooking cinnamon rolls in the Dutch oven for breakfast. Jim was up shortly after and got the fire going, and Terry grilled up some brown bread. After a carb-heavy breakfast, we got to work breaking camp and loading the boats.

By 8:30, we were on our way downstream in a light drizzle. This section of the river is bigger with the increased flow from the Wood River. We all ran the broken dam at Burdickville on the right, and made it through fine. From there, it is an easy paddle down to Bradford.

The crew - Jim, Ken, Cjuck, Peter, Terry, Erik and JD

Links:
My Pictures
Wood River Junction Gage