West Beach Road

41° 12.493' N    71° 34.703' 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 is an open, sand and cobble beach on the west side of Block Island. You are launching into open ocean. Heading north it is 1.7 miles to Sandy Point, the northern tip of Block Island. Very strong tide rips are common around Sandy Point! Heading south it is 1 mile to the entrance to Great Salt Pond. The very adventurous and skilled paddler can continue south past the Great Salt Pond and go all the way around the south end of Block Island. This is an 11 mile, open ocean paddle, only to be attempted by experienced paddlers traveling in a group with excellent self-rescue skills.

Getting to Block Island requires more planning than most other paddling destinations in Rhode Island. Kayaks can be taken on the ferry either on top of a car or without a car. For the latest rates and schedules, and to make reservations, check with the ferry company, Interstate Navigation (see link below). Some of the taxis on the island can carry kayaks so it is usually possible to get a taxi to take you and your kayak and gear from the ferry landing to a put-in elsewhere on the island.

This site provides access to the following water bodies: Block Island Sound.

Location:

Town: New Shoreham (Block Island)

Nearest Town Center: New Shoreham

Driving Landmarks: This site is on the west side of Block Island, off Corn Neck Road. From the ferry landing it is about 3.3 miles to the put-in. Turn right off the ferry landing onto Water Street and go 1/4 mile and then turn right on Corn Neck Road. Follow Corn Neck Road for 2.5 miles and then turn left on West Beach Road. West Beach Road is also the site of the transfer station and is a somewhat rough dirt road. Continue past the transfer station to the end of the road. Park on the right.

Access & Waters:

Water 'Features' At Site: ocean/bay

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 cobbles

Float/Dock: no

Approximate Length of Carry between Car Access and Water: 150 feet

Parking:

Parking: yes: 5 spaces

ADA Accessible Parking Spaces? no

Sources for More Information:

Other Guidebooks: Site 56 in Ed Mullen's book "Kayaking Narragansett Bay"

Website: Interstate Navigation (Block Island Ferry) website

Ecological, Cultural & Recreational Attractions:

West Beach is part of a 2 1/2 mile long sand and cobble beach extending from the entrance to the Great Salt Pond north all the way to the northern tip of Block Island. Some sections are town property, other sections are part of the Block Island National Wildlife Refuge.

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