North Branch of the Pawtuxet with the BVPC – May 12, 2026

Heading out from the put-in

I paddled tandem with Cheryl at the traditional Blackstone Valley Paddle Club season opener with the Southern New England Paddlers on the North Branch of the Pawtuxet. Even with the recent rain, the river was shallow in spots. There is no gage on this section of the river, but the gage downstream at Fiskeville was at 0.5-feet, 63 cfs.

The North Branch of the Pawtuxet River, also known as the Upper Pawtuxet, originally arose at the confluence of the Ponaganset and Moswansicut Rivers in what is now the Scituate Reservoir. Today, the river emerges from the bottom of the massive Scituate Reservoir Dam and flows south for approximately 9-miles to West Warwick where it joins the South Branch of the Pawtuxet River to form the main stem of the Pawtuxet River.

Me and Cheryl in my Spirit II

The main stem then flows east for approximately 12-miles to empty into Narragansett Bay at the Pawtuxet Cove. Collectively, all three branches played an important role in the development of the textile industry in Rhode Island, and numerous dams still block their course.

We put-in at the Pawtuxet River Boat Launch above the Hope Furnace Dam (15 Hope Furnace Road in Scituate). We had 17 paddlers and 3 canoes for the 2-mile paddle upstream to the base of the massive earthen dam that creates Scituate Reservoir. The first part of the paddle took us through the winding marshland created by backwater from the Hope Dam. Eventually the river narrowed and we followed its tree-lined course with strainers and tricky currents up to the Scituate Reservoir Dam.

From the bottom of the dam

The Scituate Reservoir was formed by the construction of this large earthen dam in 1925. The Scituate Reservoir is now the largest artificial body of water in the state and provides water to more than 60-percent of the state’s population.

With last weekend’s rain, there was water flowing down the spillway from the top of the dam. There were trees down in the channel, but we still paddled up the short section from the spillway up to the dam. From there, it was a quick trip back down to the put-in.

Links:
My Pictures
Fiskeville Gage
Hope Landing from Rhode Island Blueways

Charles River - Bays Region – May 12, 2026

I did the first weekday paddle of my retirement yesterday at Redwing Bay on the Charles River. I’ll be leading a RICKA trip there on Saturday, so I went to scout it out. Great day for a paddle, but I needed to cut it short to get home for supper before the opening BVPC trip on the North Branch of the Pawtuxet.

Links:
My Pictures

Pemi - Woodstock to Thornton - May 2, 2026

Pemigewasset River Iron Bridge

It rained on the way up, and it rained on the way back, but in between we had a pretty good run on the Pemi from Woodstock to Thornton.

The Pemigewasset River, also known as the “Pemi”, arises at Profile Lake at the base of Cannon Mountain in the Franconia Notch. It flows south for 65-miles to Franklin where it joins the Winnipesaukee River to form the Merrimack River.

Mist is the hills

There are a couple of other sections of the Pemi that I have paddled including the quickwater section from Thornton to Campton and the whitewater section in Bristol. The class II section in Woodstock is one of my favorites. It is a 4.5-mile trip that alternates between quickwater and class I/II rapids. This time we extended it by another 5-miles and went down to Robin’s Nest Road in Thonton.

We met at 9:30 at the put-in behind the North Woodstock Fire Station at the Woodstock Family Park and ran the shuttle down to the take-out at Robin’s Next Road. We had 8 boats, all canoes – 4 tandem and 4 solo. The river was a little low – 3.5-feet, 450 cfs. but surprisingly fluid, although we skipped the bid drop at the put in.

Running the Ledges

This section of the river alternates between quickwater and class I/II rapids. There is the Woodstock Squeeze - the river narrows and takes a hard left turn at a large rock wall, the Powerline Rapid - a long s-turn, Tree Fall Alley – a fast moving shoot which is often full of strainers, and Gravel Pit Bypass – a fast moving shoot which terminates at another rock wall.

The largest rapid is the Ledges. Usually there are lots of lines through this series of drops, but at this level the line on the right was best. Everyone made it through fine, and we continued down to the take out at Robin’s Nest Road.

Links:

My Pictures

Pemi Woodstock Gage

Big River - April 25, 2026

Zeke's Bridge

I was supposed to teach at the NHAMC Canoe School this weekend, but they had more teachers that students, so they didn’t need me. Instead, I ended up paddling the Big River in Coventry.

The Big River arises in West Greenwich at the confluence of the Congdon and Nooseneck Rivers. From there, it flows north through West Greenwich and Coventry to its confluence with the Flat River in the area now flooded by the Flat River Reservoir to form the South Branch Pawtuxet River. Much of the river flows through the Big River Management Area.

Reynolds Pond

Big River is a relatively new state management area. In the 1960’s, land was condemned by the state and the owners evicted so that a large reservoir could be constructed on the site. The reservoir was never built and the area is now a 8,300-acre conservation area that includes more than 1,200-acres of wetlands.

We put in at the Zeke's Bridge Fishing Access off Harkney Hill Road (Route 118) in Coventry, which is located on Johnson Pond near the bridge. We paddled under the bridge and headed south into Reynolds Pond.

Up the Big River

Reynolds is a beautiful winding pond with a mix of white pines and cedar lining the shore. At the far end of Reynolds Pond we continued under I-95 and Route 3, and up the Big River.

The Big River meanders through a through a mix of white pines and cedar swamps. The level was up and it was tricky to maneuver through the twists and turns. We stopped for lunch at the campsite, and headed upstream a little further before heading back to the put in.

The crew at the campsite

Links:

My Pictures

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

Plummers Landing to Route 122 – April 8, 2026

Heading downstream

I have some vacation time left, so I decided to take a day to practice being retired before I actually retire on May 1st. I met up with Bob, Dan and Rick to run the section of the Blackstone River from Plummers Landing, through River Bend Farm, and down to Route 122.

We met at 9:00 at Plummers Landing to run the shuttle. The river was at a nice level – 3.6 on the Northbridge gage. This section of the river is in a considerable state of flux with the river constantly eroding its banks and creating new channels. The river twists and turns, and it can be a challenge to maneuver around the s-turns and through the strainers. 

Goat Hill Lock

About a mile downstream from the put in, 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. 

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.

Broken Dam at Route 16

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 portaged over to the river to continue our run down to the Stanley Woolen Mill and 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.

First swim of the year

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. As I was trying to shift from sitting to kneeling in the eddy on the left, I had my first swim of the year – over I went in the squirrelly water of the eddy.

Below Route 16 the river continues to twist and turn. There were a couple of river-wide strainers that Rick was able to paddle through, but I decided to portage. We pulled into the take out at the Skull Rock Lock Trail Head on Route 122 at around 2:00.

The crew - Bob, Erik, Rick and Dan

Links:

My Pictures
Northbridge Gage

Branch River Icebreaker - March 21, 2026

Heading downstream

As a nod to all the years that RICKA ran the Branch River Race, we always try to run the Branch River on the traditional third weekend in March. We call it the "Branch River Icebreaker", but there hasn’t been any ice to break for the past few years.

The Branch River Race, later the Rhode Island Whitewater Championship, was established by RICKA in 1980. It was the first race of the year on calendar of the NECKRA Downriver Series. The race continued for 25 years, but was eventually discontinued due to the high cost of insurance and problems with river access.

Mike running Whipple Drop

RICKA has continued the tradition of running a spring trip on the Branch River race course. This year we had three boats with four paddlers - me, Chuck, Mike and Aaron. The river was at a nice level - 4-feet, 400 cfs. The day was mostly sunny and relatively warm - it felt like spring.

We met at the put-in below the Stillwater Mill at 10:00 to run the shuttle. Since the usual take out along Nasonville Road is now posted “No Trespassing”, we decided to take out at the state boat ramp on the Slatersville Reservoir.

Erik running Glendale

We put in and paddled up to the Harrisville Dam before heading downstream. The first half of this trip is actually on the Clear River. There were a couple of blow downs in this upper section, but nothing that we had to portage around.

We ran Whipple Drop down the center and continued to Oakland, where the Branch River is formed at the confluence of the Clear and Chepachet Rivers.

Weaving through the strainers

After a break for lunch at the Oakland Dam we headed down to Glendale. The Glendale Rapid was flowing well. We all took the line generally left of center. I went a little too far left and had to back paddle off the rocks near the shore.

From there it is a nice quickwater run down to the Atlas Pallet Rapid. There were a lot of strainers in this section including one that we had to portage, and one that we ran but probably should have portaged. Aaron lost his camera into the river twice, but was able to recover it both times.

Chuck and Aaron running Atlas Pallet

I ran the Atlas Pallet Rapid left of center and made it through fine. I sat in the big shore eddy and got some pictures of Chuck, Aaron and Mike running the right of center line. The surf wave at the bottom wasn’t very retentive, so we continued downstream.

We portaged the Nasonville Dam and bounced out way down the rest of the easy rapids to Victory Highway. From there it is mostly flatwater as we paddled into to the Slaterville Reservoir to the take out.

The crew at the Oakland Dam - Chuck, Mike, Erik (kneeling) and Aaron

Links:

My Pictures

Aaron's Video

Branch River Gage

River Description form American Whitewater