Fisherville

42º10'36.52" N    71º41'17.99" W   See this location in: Google Maps   Map Server   Acme Maps

This is a site for launching hand-carried boats such as canoes or kayaks.

Comments & Overview:

This site provides access to the Blackstone River a little below the Fisherville Dam. Pull into the large dirt pullout on the south side of the road and head for the back corner near the river. There is an open area here along the riverbank with a sandy shoreline suitable for launching hand-carried boats.

The river below here is a mix of flatwater and occasional quickwater, with some Class I whitewater. 0.6 miles below Fisherville there is a difficult portage in Farnumsville, above the Depot Street Bridge, around an old wooden dam.

The riverbanks below Fisherville alternate between clusters of houses and mill buildings and long stretches where the banks are wooded and rural.

For paddling this section of the Blackstone a more detailed guide is necessary then this website can provide. You should use the AMC River Guide or a similar book and only paddle this section of the river if you are an experienced paddler.

Note that in the sources for more information below, the Blackstone Heritage Corridor website has good general information about paddling on the Blackstone, but their excellent maps do not cover this part of the river yet. Their first map starts at Plummer's Landing, 5 miles down the river from Fisherville.

This site provides access to the following water bodies in the Blackstone River watershed: Blackstone River.

Location:

Alternate Site Name: Main Street, Grafton

Town: Grafton

Nearest Town Center: Grafton, MA

Driving Landmarks: This put-in is right on Route 122A in Grafton, 0.4 miles west of the junction with Route 122. Look for a large dirt pull-out on the south side of the road just west of the river.

Access & Waters:

Water 'Features' At Site: dam, whitewater, flatwater/slow moving river

Note: Because one boat launch can access, say, both a lake and a river or both the upstream and downstream portions of a river, not all paddling trips at a given site will necessarily encounter all of the features listed.

Type of Access: Boat launch for hand carried boats

ADA Accessible Boat Launch? no

Shoreline: Sand and gravel

Float/Dock: no

Approximate Length of Carry between Car Access and Water: 50 feet

Parking:

Parking: parking lot, 30 spaces

ADA Accessible Parking Spaces? no

Sources for More Information:

AMC River Guide: 4th edition pages 150-151

Website: Blackstone Heritage Corridor National Park - Get On the River Page

Photographs:

Parking Area at Fisherville

Photography by: Bruce Hooke

Date of Photograph: November 3, 2008

This view shows a corner of the large dirt pull-out at Fisherville, looking east across the river towards Farnumsville. The river is just beyond the trees on the right side of the picture, but the better put-in at most water levels is to the right, 100 feet down river from the bridge.

View Down River from Fisherville

Photography by: Bruce Hooke

Date of Photograph: November 3, 2008

This is a view downriver from the bridge at Fisherville. The put-in is on the far right edge of this picture.

View Up River Towards the Fisherville Dam

Photography by: Bruce Hooke

Date of Photograph: November 3, 2008

This view up river from the bridge at Fisherville shows the Fisherville Dam, which must be portaged if you are coming down river to Fisherville.

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