Flatwater Quaboag – September 5, 2020

Early morning mist on the water

I wanted to do something different that didn’t involve an up-and-back, so I decided to paddle the flatwater section of the Quaboag from West Brookfield to Warren – a 9-mile paddle, and a 7-mile bike shuttle.

I was up before the sun to load my boat and get on my way. I dropped off my boat at the Fishdale Road Boat Ramp in Brookfield at around 7:30 and was at the take-out at Lucy Stone Park in Warren before 8:00. There was a trashcan that was the perfect height for a selfie, so I snapped a picture before I left.  

View from the Fishdale Road Bridge

I took the slightly longer but flatter bike route up Route 67 to West Brookfield and then down Route 9 to Brookfield. This also takes you past the two pretty town commons. I clocked 11-milles per hour on the radar as I passed through West Brookfield.  

At about 4-miles I stopped to take a picture at the West Brookfield Town Common, and realized that I had forgotten my camera back at the take-out. I turned around to go back for it, but figured it was unlikely that it would still be there. Fortunately for me it was.

Quaboag Pond

It was now close to 9:00, so it was too late for me to do the bike shuttle again and still get home at a reasonable hour. I loaded my bike and drove back to the put-in in Brookfield. I decided to paddle up into Quaboag Pond and back.

The Quaboag River arises fully formed from its headwaters at the southern end of Quaboag Pond. The river is big and wide as it flows west and meanders through a large flood plain down to West Brookfield. In West Brookfield the river turns south and flows through the woods down to Lucy Stone Park - the put-in for the whitewater run down to Palmer. Eventually, the Quaboag joins the Ware River in Three Rivers to form the Chicopee River. 

Quaboag River

I paddled upstream and into Quaboag Pond. The pond is known for motorboat activity, but this morning there were just a couple of fishermen.  I paddled about half way up the pond before turning back around.

The river is a little too wide and a little too flat for my liking, but it would be nice for a fall foliage trip.

Boat ramp at the Fishdale Road Bridge

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