Kimberly Ann Rock Memorial Athletic Complex

41° 50.87' N    71° 20.747' 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.

Description & Overview:

This site gives you access to a large lake (Central Pond) that is a good warm water fishery. The shores are tree-lined, and you can paddle up the Ten Mile River about one and a half miles to Slater Park in Pawtucket but there are no take-outs at the park. The WPA lined the river with stone and cement walls from Central Pond up past Slater Park to Armistice Blvd., making take-out difficult. To find where the river enters Central Pond so you can paddle up to Slater Park look for the mouth of the river near the right (east) shore in the northeast corner of Central Pond.

You can also paddle down to the southeast corner of Central Pond and portage across the road into Tuner Reservoir. Turner Reservoir is not as large as Central Pond but has various coves and islands. At the south end of Turner Reservoir is the Turner Dam, which can be identified by the red control house. There is no portage around the dam and paddlers should stay away from the dam as there is a 25 foot drop on the other side of it!

This site provides access to the following water bodies in the Ten Mile River watershed: Ten Mile River, Central Pond .

Location:

Town: East Providence

Driving Landmarks: From I-195 east take Exit 6. Turn right at the end of ramp onto Warren Avenue. At the first light take a right onto Broadway and follow Broadway (which turns into Newman Avenue) to the light at Route 114 (Pawtucket Avenue). Take a slight left here onto Ferris avenue and follow it until you see a sign on the right for the Kimberly Ann Rock Memorial Athletic Complex. Enter the complex and stay to the right. Go to the end of the parking lot. The put-in is down a short trail behind the Greenway map sign.

Access & Waters:

Water 'Features' At Site: flatwater/slow moving river, lake/reservior

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: Unimproved sandy shore, down a sloping dirt trail

Float/Dock: no

Approximate Length of Carry between Car Access and Water: 100 feet

Hours of Operation: sunrise to sunset

Fees: no

Parking:

Parking: yes: 30 spaces, no overnight parking

ADA Accessible Parking Spaces? yes

Hiking & Walking Trails:

Miles of hiking/walking trails accessible from this trailhead: 2 miles

Nearby Amenities:

Public Restrooms: No

Ecological, Cultural & Recreational Attractions:

This site is also the start of the Ten Mile Rver Greenway, a two mile bike path leading to Slater Memorial Park in Pawtucket.

Central Pond was the original water body, and much smaller. The top of the first dam can still be seen at the southwest corner of the pond. Most of the dam is now submerged by the second dam built in 1900's to create the Turner Reservoir, a drinking water supply for the city of East Providence. The city stopped using this reservoir in the 1960's when they connected to the Scituate Reservoir. Both Central Pond and the Ten Mile River provide good wildlife viewing. The abundant fish attract osprey and other fish-eating birds.

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