The Wood River is considered to be an exceptionally pristine river and is Rhode Island's most scenic. There are three different areas where you can start your paddle.  Each section offers something different. 

1.  Upper Wood River, Arcadia Management Area. Exeter to Wyoming, RI.  (I-95 exit 3) maps.google.com/maps

Length of Trip:
Half Trip:   4 1/2 miles, 2-3 hours. Time depends on individual rate of paddling, stops for wildlife viewing, season, etc. No portages.

Full Trip:   7 miles, 3+  hours,  One portage. Some fast moving water, trees to skirt around, rocks to avoid. 

Enter Arcadia, a 13,357 acre state-owned Wildlife Management Area teeming with wildlife & beauty. 

Let yourself be carried down this twisting waterway that is shoulderd by thick woods.  The passageways are not very wide, 15-25' allowing you to be nestled right in with your surroundings.  The area you will be travelling through is mostly state-owned property that is completely undeveloped.  

In the Spring the water is moving a little fast and some fallen trees must be navigated. By mid-summer fallen logs have been removed and the steady, gentle current allows for a very leisurely paddle.

This river is  alive with the sights and sounds of natural beauty and many woodland creatures. The river is stocked with trout and salmon.  The trout jump right out of the water - the egrets, painted turtles, cedar waxwings, occasionally  the very large snapping turtles, a river otter or other creatures can be spotted along the banks of this beautiful and very clean river.  The air is clean and heavily scented with pine and budding flowers. The birds are signing and there are surprises around every bend of this twisting river.

This trip is a real treat that will take you many miles away from the ordinary. It's a really special place that you will undoudtedly want to return to again and again and each time it will be different.

We meet you at the take-out spot and shuttle you up to the put-in spot.  Take all the time you want to explore before exiting.  Your car will be left at the area where you will be finishing your trip.  

The Pawcatuck River is fed by nine different rivers and streams including the Wood River.  The river is double and sometimes triple the width of the Wood River.  It is considered to be a pristine flatwater river that  is surrounded by conservation and wildlife management areas with some, but not many residential properties along it's banks. Native brook trout, freshwater mussels, river otters, rare dragonflies, great blue herons and other creatures make their home here. 

4.  Pawcatuck River Trip Bradford/Westerly  (I-95 Exit 1 in RI) maps.google.com/maps

Length:  7 1/2 miles, 3-4+ hours.  This is a gentle paddle with one portage at the very beginning that we help you manage before you begin your trip. (This trip may be shortened by one mile.)

Paddle with the steady, gentle current of the Pawcatuck River as it winds through a remote, heavily wooded area.  The Wood River has already joined the Pawcatuck so the calm river runs wide with plenty of water and places to pull over for a picnic. 

This trip is great!  The location is so close to the beach and yet a world away from the crowds.  The seven miles you wil be paddling is bordered on both sides with a dam so there are few people out there except for the few that are lucky enough to live on the water.  Mature trees thickly line the river banks, there's tons of  wildflowers, birds, painted turtles, fresh water mussels (a good indicator of a healthy river system) & four nature preserves leading to the riverbank.  It's a wonderful environment we hope you'll enjoy. 

We meet you at the starting point-Bradford Fishing Access on Rte. 91, just five minutes away from Dunn's Corner in Westerly.   You will be traveling in a westerly direction- bring a hat.

2.  The Carolina Trip -Carolina to Bradford (I-95 exit 3, Rte. 91). maps.google.com/maps Approximate put-in spot shown.

Length of trip:  7.5 miles, 3+ hours, 1 portage.

This trip is for the more adventurous and experienced paddlers.

Travel along the pristine Pawcatuck River from Carolina to Westerly.   You start out going down a twisting river skirting lots of blow downs and twisting with the bends in the river.  Huge rocks large enough for people to climb onto dot the waterway.  A broken dam half way through the trip makes a portage necessary.  It is a scenic area and the break is enjoyable.  The Wood River enters and the river doubles in size, suddenly the winding passage way is wider and you won't have to maneuver around trees that have fallen. There's usually a fair amount of wildlife, always beautiful scenery and few, if any people. 

A state-owned canoe camp, no less than 5 rope swings and lots of arching branches drape down into the river.  It's really a great trip that offers a ton of adventure.  

This is a longer trip and because of the dam/portage and downed branches it is recommended for the somewhat more experienced paddlers.  

5.  The Great Swamp   (Route 138 near URI / the Ryan Center) A RI Wildlife Management Area.  maps.google.com/maps

Before May 31 and after September 15 All users of the Great Swamp Wildlife Management Area (hunting area) are required to wear 200 square inches of approved florescent orange clothing.   We provide the approved orange vests for your kayaking trip.

5.  Narrow River  and the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refguge. Route 1A, Narragansett  Narrow River & Pettaquamscutt Cove, Narragansett. maps.google.com/maps Heading north in the River, not towards the ocean.

If your looking for an absolutely wonderful way to start your day this is it!  The early mornings in the refuge are always calm & beautiful, the foraging birds always abundant. 

Early morning rentals:  Anytime between 6 a.m. - 9 a.m. Hourly rate: single, $20; double, $30; fishing kayaks, $40. 

We meet you just down the road from Narragansett Beach on Route 1A. 

Most obstacles, like this tree, have been cleared thanks to the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association members.  Wood River joining forces with the Pawcatuck River.

Late summer - Carolina Trip.  The water level here is lower than usual and though it looks like this section is not passable , it is. It's a great trip, and look, there's a great blue heron up ahead.  

Pawcatuck River lunch stop.

The Pawcatuck River trip starts just after the Bradford dam.