Post Office Lane Put-In

41° 24.95' N    71° 47.947' 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:

Below the Post Office Lane put-in the river is quiet, beautiful, and bucolic. Starting just upriver from this put-in, the Pawcatuck River becomes the border between Rhode Island and Connecticut. In 1.5 miles you will pass under Boom Bridge and in another 1.5 miles you will come to the site of the old dam and mill at White Rock. In the fall of 2015 this dam was removed and as a result the old whitewater run down the mill race is no more. USE GREAT CAUTION IN THIS AREA: the middle section of the newly restored river contains narrow channels, and the river-right (CT) side of the river has had trees and root balls cabled to the bank to reduce erosion. There are also numerous boulders in sections, and the channels will likely shift and change as the river wears in its new "clothes."

The first possible take-out below Potter Hill is 3/4 mile beyond White Rock Dam (4 miles below Potter Hill) at White Rock, just upstream of the Route 78 bridge.

Below Route 78, the river is largely relatively placid, but in about a mile you will come to the broken down Stillmanville Dam, which can either be portaged on the right bank at the willow tree or, at some water levels, run via the millrace on the left, which gives you about 200 yards of class II whitewater (scout first as it is not always runnable!). Below this dam the river is tidal and runs through downtown Westerly.

(This description was adapted in part from The Wood-Pawcatuck River Guide, which is highly recommended for paddling on the Wood-Pawcatuck river system.)

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

Location:

Town: Westerly

Nearest Town Center: Potter Hill

Driving Landmarks: From Interstate 95 take Exit 1 in Rhode Island for Route 3. Go south on Route 3 for 1.8 miles and turn right onto Route 216 (High Street) in Ashaway. Go 0.2 miles and turn left onto Laurel Street/River Road. Go 1 mile to the bridge over the river above Potter Hill Dam. Turn left over the bridge and go about 200 feet. Then turn right onto Post Office Lane, a small dirt road, and go about 1/10 mile to the end of the road, where there is public parking. Note that contrary to what Google Maps shows, Post Office Lane does not cross the river as a driveable road and it is not possible to get to the river via Post Office Lane on the Connecticut side of the river.

Access & Waters:

Water 'Features' At Site: 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

Float/Dock: no

Approximate Length of Carry between Car Access and Water: 175 feet

Parking:

Parking: yes: 10 spaces

Nearby Amenities:

Public Restrooms: No

Sources for More Information:

Website: How to order the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association's River Guide

Website: USGS River Gauge on the Pawcatuck River at Westerly

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