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

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Model for the Foreseeable Future – Big River – May 2, 2020

Social distancing

It’s been raining like crazy and all the whitewater rivers are up, but with COVID-19, very few people are paddling. That is good. For me the problem is the shuttle. So yesterday’s trip on the Big River is probably the model for the foreseeable future – easy trip, small group, no shuttle. 

We put in at Zeke's Bridge (Harkney Hill Road, Coventry) and paddled upstream through Reynolds Pond, under Route 95 and Route 3, and up to the lunch spot. The river was up (unfortunately, the gage is offline) and the current made paddling the twists and turns a little more interesting. We had a strong headwind paddling back up Reynolds Pond to the take out. Good time, but I would have rather been paddling Lower Otter Brook, which was the original plan for this weekend.

Pretty section of the Big River

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Big River – June 13, 2015

I made a last minute decision to join the RICKA trip at the Big River.  I arrived just as the group was heading out, and paddled back alone after lunch so I could make it home for afternoon activities.  I think Frank put it best when he said "whoever named this Big River has never paddled it". So true, but it is a fun trip with lots of twists and turns.

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Big River from Rhode Island Blueways

Big River – October 23rd

I was looking for some foliage this morning, and I wanted to paddle someplace different, so I grabbed Jim Cole’s book and headed down to the Big River in Coventry.  Chuck said it is as close as you can get to Maine scenery in Rhode Island, and he was right.

I put in at Zeke's Bridge (Harkney Hill Road) and paddle upstream into Reynolds Pond. The water was very low (2’ on the Harkney Hill Road gage), but recent frosts had killed back the weeds, and the foliage was spectacular – reds, yellows and oranges everywhere I looked. I paddled under Route 95 and up to Route 3 before I turned back. Well worth the trip.


Big River from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

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