Palmer River - June 30, 2026

Paddling through the salt marsh

I sent an email to Danny to see if he would be interested in paddling tandem at paddle club. Instead, he suggested that we do a morning trip on the Palmer River in his new Mad River Tahoe 16. Since I have never paddled the Palmer River, I was happy to join.

The upper reaches of the Palmer River has two branches that arise in Rehoboth – the East Branch that arises in Little Cedar Swamp, and the West Branch that arises in a small unnamed pond near the intersection of Tremont Street and Agricultural Avenue. Both flow south before converging near Danforth Street to form the main branch. It then flows south about 11-miles through Swansea and between Barrington and Warren before converging with the Barrington River to form the Warren River.

Dickie's Clam Shack on Route 6

I grew up about a quarter mile from the Palmer River where is crosses Wilmath Bridge Road. The plot of land purchased by my grandfather in 1923 actually bordered the Palmer River down by what is now Trim Street. As a kid, I would often swim in the river at Danforth Street, at the swimming hole off Wilmarth Bridge Road and at the Boy Scout Camp off Pond Street.

In its upper reaches, the river is narrow and its tannin-stained waters twist and turn through woodlands. Below the Shad Factory Dam the river is tidal flowing through a huge marshland before opening up into a large tidal estuary as it enters into Rhode Island.

Looking downstream past Tom's Island

I had never paddled on the Palmer River, although the trip was frequently run by RICKA. We met at the boat launch on Providence Street and ran the shuttle down to Belvedere Avenue in Barrington. We launched at around 9:30 with the tide still coming in. There is about a 3-hour delay for the tide to turn this far upstream. We paddled into a huge wetland lined with phragmites.

We continued under I-195, Route 6 and the Old Providence Road past Barneyville. At this point the river opens up into a huge tidal estuary. This section was made famous in a 19th century landscape by Edward Mitchell Bannister. We were paddling into a strong headwind as we continued south into Rhode Island. We checked out secret Danny’s campsite near Tom’s Island before crossing the river over to the take out at the end of Belvedere Avenue.

Not the best picture, but Danny and me at the take-out

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