Upper Wood River - May 31, 2026

Heading out from Route 165

It has been a while since I paddled the upper section of the Wood River, so when I saw that Sharon had a trip on the RICKA Flatwater calendar, I decided to join.

The Wood River is a National Wild and Scenic River that flows 25-miles from its source near Sterling, CT to the Village of Alton where it merges into the Pawcatuck. There are two sections of the Wood River which are popular with paddlers – the upper Wood River from Route 165 in Exeter to the Wyoming Dam with a portage at the Barberville Dam, and the lower Wood River from Switch Road in Richmond to Alton with a portage at the Woodville Dam.

Crossing Frying Pan Pond

When I arrived at the put-in there were already 9 paddlers gathered for the trip – 4 canoes and 5 kayaks. We ran the shuttle down to the Wyoming Dam at 10:30, and were back at the put-in launching our boats by 11:00.

The river was low, but still fluid - 2 ft, 70 cfs at Hope Valley gage; 3 ft, 35 cfs at Arcadia gage. It twists and turns through the woodlands of the Arcadia Management Area. In many spots, there was just enough water to float over, and there were numerous blow-downs to maneuver around. We passed several fishermen trying their luck on this popular fly-fishing stream. After a couple of miles, the river opened up as we paddled into Frying Pan Pond.

Take-out at Wyoming Dam

We stopped for lunch at the Barberville Dam, which is also the headquarters for the Wood Pawcatuck Watershed Association. There are two portages around the Barberville Dam. The right portage allows paddlers to avoid the quickwater directly below the dam. We all went right since there wasn’t enough water to run the small rapids on the left.

The quickwater continued below the dam until Skunk Hill Road where the impoundment for the Wyoming Dam begins. It was an easy paddle down to the Wyoming Dam, but the pond's infestation with milfoil was very apparent. It would probably be difficult to paddle across later in the season. We finished up by around 2:30. Great trip.

Links:

My Pictures
Arcadia Gage
Hope Valley Gage
Trip Description form RI Blueways