The Rhode Island Blueways Alliance, working in partnership with nine watershed organizations, the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program and the Rhode Island Foundation, has created 20 detailed, full-color paddle trail maps, showcasing paddle tours throughout the state. In addition to paddling information and directions to the put-ins, many of the maps also include historical or natural history information about the places you'll see on that tour.
All the maps can be downloaded for free at the RI Blueways web site, www.ExploreRI.org.
The paddle maps include the following trips:
- Tours designed by the Salt Ponds Coalition showcasing the beauty of Quonochontaug, Ninigret, Point Judith and Green Hill Ponds.
- Two challenging trips (for intermediate and expert paddlers) along the upper Wood River from the Wood River put-in to the Arcadia Management Area and from the Hope Valley fishing access to Main Street in Hope Valley. These maps were developed by the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association.
- Tours designed by the Narrow River Preservation Association showing paddle opportunities in the Upper Pettaquamscutt (or Narrow) River and the Lower Pettaquamscutt River and Cove
- Trips on the Pawtuxet River developed by the Pawtuxet River Authority & Watershed Council showing how to paddle from the Pontiac canoe launch in Warwick to Rhodes on the Pawtuxet and the more challenging trip from Rhodes on the Pawtuxet through Pawtuxet falls to Pawtuxet Cove.
- Paddle tours along Warwick's Buckeye Brook developed by the Buckeye Brook Coalition showing how to paddle from Conimicut Point Park up Buckeye Brook and along the coast from Conimicut Point to Rocky Point Park. The Buckeye Brook Coalition has put these maps on display at Conimicut Point Park.
- Trips in the Woonasquatucket River watershed described by the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council featuring a downtown Providence paddle starting at South Water Street Landing and traveling up the Woonasquatucket River to Eagle Square and paddles in the Woonasquatucket Reservoir and Stillwater Pond in Smithfield.
- Moshassuck River watershed paddles developed by Friends of the Moshassuck in Lincoln Woods' Olney Pond and Barney Pond.
- Trips along the Ten Mile River developed by the Ten Mile River Watershed Council include a 3 mile river paddle from Freedom Green in East Providence up the river to Hunts Mills and back and tours of Turner Reservoir and Central Pond in East Providence.
- Tours of the Kickemuit River in Warren and Bristol created by the Kickemuit River Council.
The RI Blueways Alliance reminds paddlers to make safety their number one priority. Paddlers should always wear a life jacket and carry a whistle or other sound producing device. Tides, water levels, weather affect all these paddles and should be checked before setting out. And paddlers should carry out what they bring on their trip and respect private property along the waterway.
-- Rhode Island Blueways Alliance
