Upper Pond - July 21, 2021

Boat Ramp at Marina Park

I will be leading a RICKA trip on Point Judith Pond this weekend, so I got up early to check out the put-in at Marina Park.

Unlike Rhode Island’s other large salt ponds (Ninigret, Green Hill, Quonochontaug and Winnapaug) that are coastal lagoons, Point Judith Pond is an estuary where the Saugatucket River empties to the sea. I put in at the state boat ramp at Marina Park. Around the docks to the right is Silver Spring Cove where the Saugatucket River flows into the Upper Point Judith Pond.

Colorful boats in the Upper Pond

I paddled south through the marina and mooring fields before breaking out into more open water. After about a mile I paddled through the Narrows – a narrow channel that connects the Upper Pond to Point Judith Pond. The Narrows curve to the right and everyone has to squeeze through this narrow channel, so you need to careful for motorboat traffic.

Once through the Narrows I paddled across the top of Point Judith Pond to Billington Cove to check out the osprey nest. Then I paddled into Congdon Cove before heading back to the put-in.

Osprey nest at Billington Cove Marina

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