Willimatic River Water Trail Paddle Guide A Natioal Recreatio Trail i Coecticut Secod Editio May 2013
Welcome! The Willimatic River Water Trail provides more tha 21 miles of paddlig ejoymet ad challeges betwee Stafford Sprigs ad Widham, Coecticut, with oly oe short portage. This guide describes public-access lauches ad ladig areas, as well as river features you will fid alog the way. Like all streams ad rivers, the Willimatic chages character every day, eve hourly. While this guide caot possibly predict your experieces o the water, it does provide basic iformatio ad sources for real-time iformatio. The guide ecourages you to ask questios, lear from others ad make careful decisios before you head out. Ultimately, it s up to you to make good choices based o the weather, the river, your paddlig expertise ad equipmet. More specific safety tips are suggested below. Cautio: Do ot use this guide as your oly source of avigatioal iformatio. Coditios o the river chage costatly, sometimes drastically. It is your resposibility to be aware of chagig coditios ad the abilities of your group so your decisios lead to a safe trip. What Is A Water Trail? It is the combiatio of a waterway with paddle routes ad segmets, clearly described i maps ad guides, maaged for public access ad coserved to protect lad ad water resources the very resources paddlers come here to ejoy. The Last Gree Valley, Ic. is teamig up with paddlers, outfitters ad river groups like the Willimatic River Alliace to create water trails o the rivers of the Natioal Heritage Corridor. For more iformatio, or to joi The Last Gree Valley or the Willimatic River Alliace, please go to www.tlgv.org or www.willimaticriver.org. What is a Natioal Recreatio Trail? The Secretary of Iterior recogizes exemplary trails of local ad regioal sigificace as Natioal Recreatio Trails (NRT) after a rigorous applicatio process. I May 2012, Secretary Ke Salazar desigated the Willimatic River Water Trail as a NRT. For iformatio o all NRTs, visit America Trails. Published i May 2013 by the Willimatic River Alliace ad The Last Gree Valley, Ic. Sectios of the Guide may be reproduced with credit. 2 Willimatic River water trail
Willimatic River Water Trail Map Paddle Guide 3
Overview of the Willimatic River Water Trail There are thee major segmets of the Willimatic River Water Trail: rapids & quickwater of the arrow upper sectio, flatwater impoudmet above Eagleville Lake Dam ad moderate curret ad flatwater dow to Route 66. Are You New to Paddlig? If you are a begier or your group icludes yougsters ad ovices, cosider paddlig at the followig access sites to practice ad gai experiece where there is o curret. River Mile Lauches for Less-experieced Paddlers 13.7 Masfield River Park Caoe Lauch O-the-Water Paddle Skills Traiig Whether you are ew to paddlig or have messed about i small boats sice you were a kid, there are always ew skills to lear for fu ad safety. The followig groups offer excellet paddlig ad outdoor safety workshops: Appalachia Moutai Club Collisville Caoe & Kayak Easter Moutai Sports Schools LL Bea Kayakig Courses How to Fid Locatios & Calculate Distace River Mile To describe locatios ad relative distaces o the river, the guide idetifies every poit by River Mile, begiig with 0.0 at the Commuter Lot i Stafford Sprigs ad edig with 21.4 at the Route 66 bridge i Columbia. Street Address Because there are rarely structures with specific addresses at lauch sites, street addresses are approximate ad derived from Google Maps. Latitude & Logitude Called lat/log for short, these decimal coordiates are precise ad fuctio well o sites like Google Maps, Google Earth ad Big. Copy the coordiates ito the search widow of Google or a mappig website (yes, the first is a positive umber ad the secod is egative) ad it will display that locatio. Note: i this Paddle Guide we use decimal lat/logs. Coordiates ca also be expressed i miutes ad secods, but that format does t work as well with olie mappig sites. Google Earth O The Last Gree Valley website, you will fid a lik to detailed data ad a iteractive map for the Willimatic River Water Trail. This map was created i Google Earth, a free olie mappig program. You do ot eed to dowload Google Earth software to use this lik, but to view more advaced features, such as a flyover of the Willimatic River, you will eed to dowload Google Earth. Iteret Address Liks Website addresses are embedded i Paddle Guide text wherever you see a word or phrase i blue ad uderlied. Whe viewig the Paddle Guide o a computer coected to the iteret, you ca go to a website by holdig dow the Cotrol key ad clickig o the word or phrase. If you are readig a paper copy, use the alphabetical, spelled-out listig of every website address i the Appedix to eter addresses maually. 4 Willimatic River water trail
Glossary of Paddlig Terms Boat Ramp: A public lauch ramp that is available for power boats as well as caoes ad kayaks. See also caoe lauch. Boy: A adjective paddlers use to describe rocky, scratchy coditios due to low water. Bow ad Ster: The frot ad back eds of a boat, respectively. Caoe Lauch: A less developed public lauch site that is suitable for lauchig caoes ad kayaks by had. See also boat ramp. Cubic Feet per Secod, or cfs : River flow is measured as the umber of cubic feet of water flowig past a certai poit each secod; it s called cfs for short. River gauges provide olie readigs updated every 15 miutes, with graphs showig treds. Eddy: A back-curret alog the edge of a river. Eddies are a good place to pull off to the side, out of the mai curret, to rest ad re-group, or lad. Be careful as you cross ito a eddy as your boat may become less stable mometarily. Flatwater: A sectio of river with little or o curret, usually due to impouded water behid a dam. Impoudmet: A body of flatwater held behid a dam. Lee: A adjective, meaig sheltered or away from the wid. By stayig close to the lee shore, you ll be exposed to less wid ad paddlig will be easier. Paiter: A legth of rope (kow as a lie) tied to the bow or ster. PFD Persoal Flotatio Device: The Coast Guard has shifted back to callig them life jackets. No matter the ame, they oly work if you wear them. Portage: Derived from Frech, it meas to carry. A portage is the trail you walk to go aroud a obstructio (like a dam) or from oe water body to aother. It s also a verb that meas to carry your boat ad gear. Quickwater: Stretches of river with eough curret to carry the boat ad create ripples, but ot as steep or rough as rapids. Geerally, you ca avigate quickwater by followig the mai curret. Also kow as Class I whitewater (see below). River Left ad River Right: Refers to the river as you face dowstream. As i, Watch for the big rock o river left. Rock Garde: A sectio of river with may partially submerged rocks. It s usually applied to areas with swift curret where strog paddlig skills are eeded to dodge rocks. Straier: A falle tree, partially submerged i the curret, so the limbs ad braches strai the water. People ad boats pushed by curret ito a straier put themselves ad rescuers i extreme dager! Sweep: A experieced paddler who remais the last boat i a group. He or she makes sure obody is left behid ad is ready to help with rescues. USGS: Stads for the US Geological Survey. This agecy ad the US Army Corps of Egieers maitai a etwork of river gauges (sometimes spelled gages) to register water level ad flow data olie every 15 miutes. These readig are useful to decide whether the river flow is too low, too high or just right for your skills ad equipmet. Whitewater: Stretches of river with eough flow ad rocks to create breakig waves of water. O the stadardized scale from I to V of whitewater difficulty, the Willimatic has Class I (also called quickwater) ad a few Class II spots at higher water levels. (Adapted from www.americawhitewater.org) Class I: Fast movig water with riffles ad small waves. There are few obstructios, all obvious ad easily avoided with little traiig. Class II: Straightforward rapids with wide, clear chaels which are evidet without scoutig. Occasioal maeuverig may be required, but rocks ad mediumsized waves are easily avoided by traied paddlers. Paddle Guide 5
Preparatio Checklist Attach a whistle to each life jacket so paddlers ca sigal for help i a emergecy. Brig a good map to track your progress ad to fid a road or assistace, if ecessary. Brig a extra paddle for each boat, water bottles, food or eergy sacks, hats, suglasses, suscree ad bug spray. Have a lie (kow as a paiter) attached to the bow ad ster of each boat. Hypothermia is a real threat, eve o beautiful warm days, especially i the sprig whe river levels are ofte good for paddlig. Dress for cold water ad be prepared to spot the sigs of hypothermia, icludig bad judgmet by fellow paddlers. Take a complete chage of dry clothes i a dry bag. Let frieds or family kow where you will put i ad take out ad whe to expect your retur. Take a cell phoe i a waterproof bag for emergecy calls (though you may ot always be able to get a sigal). Be sure everyoe s paddlig skills are up to the demads of the segmet you wish to paddle. Whe i doubt, do t go out. Clea your boats whe you travel betwee rivers or watersheds. You do t wat to trasport Didymo (also called rock sot) ad ivasive plats to choke your favorite paddlig spots. Positio the most experieced paddlers so they lead the way ad brig up the rear. The leader out frot watches for hazards ad gives directios; the last paddler (kow as the sweep) makes sure obody is left behid. Before You Go Thik ahead ad prepare for a safe trip. A safe paddle outig begis before you leave home. It s up to you to make good decisios for yourself ad your group. Lear how from the America Caoe Associatio. Also, check out the America Whitewater Safety Code. Life Jacket! Just wear it! Smart paddlers wear life jackets at all times. Coecticut state law requires that every perso wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket betwee October 1st ad May 31st. From Jue 1st through September 30th, there must be a life jacket aboard for each perso. See the Coecticut Boater s Guide for full iformatio. I Massachusetts over the last 10 years, 85% of the victims who died i boatig accidets did ot use life jackets. The majority of these victims fell overboard or capsized ad the drowed. May of these deaths udoubtedly would have bee preveted if a life jacket had bee wor. MA Evirometal Police Use Stream Gauges to Judge Paddlig Coditios Before You Go Water levels rise ad fall with raifall, sowmelt ad dam releases, sometimes dramatically. Please pay attetio to chagig coditios before ad durig every trip. I the paddlig coditios descriptios below, we suggest miimum thresholds for water flow so you do t ed up walkig more tha paddlig. Note that we itetioally do ot recommed maximum levels because your safety depeds etirely o your skill, equipmet ad judgmet. This is true at ay flow; what s safe ad easy for a skilled paddler may be life-threateig to a less experieced paddler. Before headig out, check the USGS olie stream gauges. They measure both the river level ad volume of water passig by every 15 miutes, 24/7. The sites also display recet treds ad historic averages. Olie USGS gauge at Merrow Road bridge (River Mile 10.8) Whe the olie gauge reads 2.1 or more, you will have eough water to paddle above ad below Eagleville Dam. Below 2.1, the river gets icreasigly boy. There is also a old-fashioed stream gauge attached to the Merrow Road bridge. Note: A level of 2.1 o the yardstick equals a 2.1 readig o the olie Merrow gauge. Olie USGS gauge i Covetry (approximately River Mile 18.2, just above the Route 31 bridge) Whe the South Covetry gauge reads 4.2 feet or higher, the river above ad below Eagleville Dam is deep eough to paddle. Below 4.2, the ride gets icreasigly boy. Google Earth Display of Every Stream Gauge by State, Regio or Natiowide Note that you must dowload free software to use Google Earth. Google Map of Every Stream Gauge by State, Regio or Natiowide This is available without a software dowload. 6 Willimatic River water trail
Let s Take Care of the River We Ejoy As people eter ad leave the water, lauch sites ted to erode. As the footig gets muddy, the erosio gets worse ad silt pollutes the river. To break this cycle, local officials ad voluteers are liig up fudig, materials ad voluteers to stabilize lauches. Email The Last Gree Valley to receive mothly updates of upcomig water trail outigs ad clea-up evets. I the meatime, do your part right away: Carry out everythig you carry i. Take a extra grocery bag to stash trash you fid alog the way. O a water trail, make every day a clea-up day. Voluteer to Help Maage the Water Trail Voluteers are the heartbeat of this trail. They prepare ad update Paddle Guides ad they help develop ad maitai lauches ad kiosks. We eed voluteers to help with occasioal evets ad o-goig projects. Email the Willimatic River Alliace or The Last Gree Valley to voluteer. We ll cotact you whe there is work to do. Plus, joi us for a water trail outig to ejoy the river ad meet other paddlers. About the Willimatic River Alliace (WRA) The missio of the Alliace is to protect ad preserve the Willimatic River through cooperative ad educatioal activities that promote regioal awareess, stewardship, ad ejoymet of the river ad its watershed. WRA is a member-supported oprofit orgaizatio ad sposors: regioal forums to ecourage cooperatio amog tows ad local plaig ad coservatio orgaizatios; outigs to promote discovery of the river s recreatioal ad atural features; ad publicatios ad a web site to promote awareess of the river ad its watershed. Joi the Alliace ad become a voluteer - as a member you support our efforts to promote awareess ad ejoymet of the Willimatic River ad its watershed. Dowload the Willimatic River Alliace Membership Form. About The Last Gree Valley The Last Gree Valley is two thigs: it is the popular ame give to the Willimatic ad Shetucket Rivers Valley Natioal Heritage Corridor (desigated by Cogress i 1994) ad it is the ame of the oprofit orgaizatio which maages the Natioal Heritage Corridor. The Last Gree Valley, Ic. (TLGV) works to ehace the regio s sigificat atural resources i the cotext of a vital ecoomy ad regioal cultural idetity. By joiig TLGV, you will support a local, sustaiable ecoomy. It is a member-supported oprofit 501(c)3 orgaizatio. I partership with watershed groups, paddlers, local, state ad federal agecies, TLGV aims to create a water trail etwork o all avigable rivers that flow to the Thames. Paddle Guide 7
Willimatic River Water Trail Guide to River Access & Paddlig Coditios River Mile 0.0 i Stafford Sprigs Cautio: Do ot use this guide as your oly source of avigatio iformatio. Coditios o the river chage costatly, sometimes drastically. It is your resposibility to be aware of chagig coditios ad the abilities of your group so your decisios lead to a safe trip. Access: Commuter Lot o Route 32 Lat/Log: 41.945072, -72.304525 Located.4 mile south of Stafford Sprigs ceter o Route 32, look for the Stafford Sprigs sig. The paved commuter lot has about 15 spaces, icludig room for a trailer, but is available for paddlers durig weekeds oly. There is a picic table ad a grassy area. The carry to the river is flat ad oly 25 feet from the parkig lot. The put-i is easy ad almost level, but oce i the boat, you ll be i the curret right away. Paddlig Coditios to Nye-Holma State Forest This first reach of the river is tight ad ca be challegig with lowhagig braches. It is best ru at medium to high water by more experieced paddlers, ot ewcomers to river paddlig. Watch especially for the two-foot drop over a old low-head dam.8 of a mile dowstream from the put-i. Pull off the river ad scout the drop from river left. Soo you pass uder the Route 32 bridge. Farther alog, the river has may easy turs, flaked by Route 32 South ad forest. Like most of the Willimatic, this stretch is fairly arrow. This keeps you close to the atural beauty of the shorelie; paddle quietly ad you may see wildlife. Stay alert dowstream, too, for dowed trees which ca create dagerous straiers. At high flows, there are few eddies to pull out of the curret to rest ad re-group. At aroud River Mile 2.9, Roarig Brook eters o river left, addig volume to the Willimatic. For the ext few miles, you are likely to pass fly fisherme just about year-roud as this is a state-desigated catchad-release Trout Maagemet Area. Please be courteous ad alert aglers that you are comig well i advace. Geerally, it s best to paddle behid aglers so you do t disturb the water they are fishig, but watch out for back casts! If possible, ask for their prefereces as you approach. Remember, the river is cleaer thaks to years of effort by aglers. We ejoy the same river, though i differet ways. Please give them the space they eed to ejoy their sport. The river takes a sharp right tur, the a Rock Garde lies just dowstream. Watch for a large boulder ad several smaller oes i the river. Oce you pass uder the highway through the right-had culvert, the river becomes a bit more secluded ad has more beds to avigate. You will cotiue to see fisherme as the Trout Maagemet Area exteds dowstream to the Route 74 bridge. 8 Willimatic River water trail
River Mile 5.9 i Tollad Access: Nye-Holma State Forest o Route 74 Lat/Log: 41.883264, -72.306808 The Nye-Holma State Forest (http://www.stateparks.com/yeholma.html) access site is oe of the most easily foud access sites to the Willimatic River. The site ca be reached from either Exit 69 or Exit 70 off I-84. The well-marked etrace to the State Forest is directly off Route 74, just west of the river o Platatio Road. The parkig area has room to maeuver a truck with trailer. The river is visible as you eter, at least util vegetatio closes i by late summer. The best access poit is about 350 feet up the road at a small parkig/picic area opposite the grassy field. A arrow dirt path traverses a short slope dow to the river s edge. Paddlig Coditios to Hero Cove Park The river ca be boy, with fewer turs ad some quickwater stretches. The river follows South River Road i Tollad ad there are a umber of homes o river right. River Mile 6.5 i Tollad Access: Hero Cove Park o South River Road Lat/Log: 41.877874, -72.309214 About half a mile dowstream from Nye-Holma, Tollad s Hero Cove Park (http://www.willimaticriver.org/recreatio/pg_park_hero-cove.html) is just about as easy to fid. From Exit 69 off I-84 follow State Route 74 East.5 miles to the bottom of the hill just before the Route 74 bridge. Tur right oto South River Road. Follow South River Road.5 mile. Hero Cove Park is o the left opposite Woodhege Drive. Follow the paved driveway to the left ito a paved parkig area by the soccer fields. The gravel drive to the caoe lauch is at the ed of the parkig lot ad is ofte closed off. Park i the lot ad carry about 200 feet to the caoe lauch sig ad dow a path to the lauch platform o the river bak. Paddlig Coditios to Peck s Mill Ladig I the ext two miles you will paddle through Class 2 rapids, uder the Depot Road bridge ad past a iformal rock dam, mid-river boulders ad possibly some stadig waves created by water flowig over submerged rocks. You may also begi to otice more wildlife as birds, ducks, geese ad beavers aboud. Most of the way, Route 32 is ot far away, off to the left, ad a umber of roads are off to the right. Eve so, there are momets whe the oly oise you ll hear is the blade of your paddle ad the movemet of your boat through the water. However, sometimes you may hear your boat scrapig a rock! Approach to Peck s Mill Ladig Watch for these ladmarks: 150 yards dowstream of Pulpit Rock (a large mid-stream boulder), there is a ot-quite-so-large rock mid-stream, followed by 100 yards of quick water, followed by 50 yards of Class II whitewater. At the very bottom of the rapid, o river left, there is a eddy with room for two to three boats at a time (depedig o water level). It is a easy eddy, but if paddlers are ot alert at the bottom of the rapid, it s easy to miss ad ed up dowstream of the ladig. Paddle Guide 9
River Mile 9.2 i Willigto Ladig: Peck s Mill Ladig (o access by road) Lat/Log: 41.845601, -72.308954 Peck s Mill Ladig (http://www.willimaticriver.org/recreatio/pg_park_ pecks-mill.html) is oe of two ladigs without road access where the geeral public ca lad for a picic ad a rest. There are o facilities. Be aware that this is a tricky pull-out due to the currets. For a easier rest stop, go to the Taylor Preserve Ladig, as described below. Paddlig Coditios to Merrow Meadow Park & Taylor Preserve Ladig As you pass uder Route 195, the river arrows a bit ad the water speed icreases. I a short distace the river will tur left, the right. I the left tur, debris ca accumulate; stay to the right to avoid it. I the right tur, the curret will push you to the left where large submerged rocks create some turbulece. Notice the remat bridge abutmets of the former Joes Crossig as you pass. As you pass uder the Merrow Road bridge, you have two optios if you wish to take a break ad stretch your legs. O river left is a difficult take-out for Merrow Meadow Park; o river right is a easy take-out for the Taylor Preserve. However, if you wish to ed your trip here, use Merrow Meadow Park as it is the oly approved access site. River Mile 10.8 i Covetry Ladig: Taylor Preserve Ladig o Merrow Road Lat/Log: 41.823431, -72.313712 The Taylor Preserve is directly across the river from Merrow Meadow Park. It s a easier place to lad tha either Peck s Mill or the park. Pull out o river right just after the Merrow Road bridge to ejoy this property of Joshua s Trust (http://www.joshuasladtrust.org/). For ow, this is ot a official access site, but it is available to paddlers as a ladig for rest stops ad picics. See below for Paddlig Coditios to River Park. Cautio: Do ot use this guide as your oly source of avigatio iformatio. Coditios o the river chage costatly, sometimes drastically. It is your resposibility to be aware of chagig coditios ad the abilities of your group so your decisios lead to a safe trip. 10 Willimatic River water trail
River Mile 10.8 i Masfield Access: Merrow Meadow Park o Merrow Road Lat/Log: 41.824032, -72.313119 Take Route 32 South from I-84, Exit 70. Cotiue south o Route 32 at the itersectio of Route 195. Cotiue.9 miles past Valley View Park to Merrow Road, tur right. Cotiue.3 mile o Merrow Road, over the railroad tracks to the park etrace o your left. It s a arrow ad widig road, so please take it slowly! Merrow Meadow Park has about 10 parkig spaces ad is excellet for family outigs, with easy walkig trails ad coectios to Sprig Maor ad the River View Trail i Covetry. The park is icely desiged ad maitaied. The carry to the water is flat ad less tha 200 feet, but the actual put-i is awkward at best. Follow the stoe-dust path to the bak of the river, where the put-i path turs sharply to the right ad turs to dirt. Watch your step as you desced the arrow ramp ad railroad-tie steps to the sharp left tur at the water s edge, right by the bridge. This is a twoperso operatio -- ot for begiers, or sigle paddlers. Whe curret is flowig fast, this is a very tricky place to lauch or lad. Before you put i, otice the stream gauge yardstick mouted o the bridge. A readig above 2.1 usually meas there is sufficiet flow for paddlig. As it drops below 2.1, you ca expect a icreasigly scratchy ride. [Note: A level of 2.1 o the yardstick equals 2.1 o the olie Merrow gauge. Paddlig Coditios to River Park You ll ecouter two islads i this stretch. Approach the secod islad slowly. While the quickest route is o the left, it is arrow ad ca get blocked with trees, creatig a dagerous straier. The right side ca be shallow. So, look carefully before the river divides, the decide which way to go. Below this islad, after a straight-away, beware of a sharp right tur where the curret ca rage from mild to strog, pushig you to river left. This area has strog eddies ad a umber of beds. You will pass uder Route 44 where the curret begis to slow. River Mile 13.7 i Masfield Access: River Park o Plais Road Lat/Log: 41.797428, -72.300799 From the itersectio with Route 44, go south o Stafford Road (Route 32) for.3 miles, the tur right oto Plais Road. River Park is.2 miles o the right. (http://www.masfieldct.org/trailguides/river_park.pdf). The parkig lot has about te spaces ad a icely ladscaped circular drive. This is a ewly developed area, just upstream of the poit where the river becomes a impoudmet behid the Eagleville Dam. Access for car-top carriers is excellet, the cocrete ramp is smooth ad wide ad the gradual slope to the water s edge makes gettig i ad out of boats easy. This is the best lauch site o the river for ovice paddlers ad those ufamiliar with paddlig i a curret. The spacious ad well-groomed lauch site, plus the adjacet playig field, makes it a ideal site for outigs with kids. Paddle Guide 11
Paddlig Coditios to Eagleville Dam Upstream from River Park, you will ecouter some curret. If you are comfortable paddlig upriver, it s worth the extra effort to explore i this directio util the curret gets the best of you. Sice the river becomes a impoudmet dowstream of the lauch (due to Eagleville Dam), this is a good place to lauch a loop trip with o worries about curret. But, be aware that there ca be wid o the lake! Eagleville Lake is a popular destiatio for paddlers ad aglers. River Mile 15.1 i Covetry o RIVER RIGHT Note: The followig descriptios of River Miles 15.1 ca be cofusig util you realize that there are two take-outs above the dam; oe o river left ad river right. To portage aroud the dam ad paddle dowstream, it s preferable to take out o river left i Masfield. Both take-outs are described i case you ed up o river right. River Mile 15.1 i Masfield o RIVER LEFT Access: Eagleville Lake Dam o Route 275 (upstream side) Lat/Log: 41.784596, -72.281600 Take Route 275 from Route 31 i Covetry (1.7 miles) or Route 32 i Masfield (.3 mile) to the river at Eagleville Dam (http://www.willimaticriver.org/recreatio/pg_park_eagleville-lake.html). Here, you ll fid a access poit o each side of the river. The Covetry side has coveiet, all-seaso parkig ad a grassy law; however, the water s edge is a slippery, steep bak of rock rip-rap. Scout it i advace to determie whether it s a good optio for you ad your group. This spot is very sceic ad is amog the most popular lauches alog the River as it provides access to Eagleville Lake, the largest flat water stretch o the river. Those oly wishig to paddle the orther ed of Eagleville Lake ad upriver ought to use Masfield s River Park istead. See above. Access & Portage: Eagleville Lake Dam o Route 275 (upstream side) Lat/Log: 41.785139, -72.280583 Take Route 275 from Route 31 i Covetry (1.7 miles) or Route 32 i Masfield (.3 mile) to the river at Eagleville Dam. Here, you ll fid a access poit o each side of the river. Parkig here is available for about 20 cars. This is the preferred ladig for those seekig to portage the dam. It s amog the most popular lauches alog the river as it provides access to Eagleville Lake, the largest flatwater segmet o the river. The lauch site is small, but provides easy lake access. It ca be reached by a 100-foot carry aroud the dam s earthe embakmet. Those oly wishig to paddle the orther ed of Eagleville Lake ad upriver may wat to use Masfield s River Park istead. The carry to the water is shorter ad flat, the put-i is more gradual ad you ll be protected from the wid. See above for a full descriptio of River Park. This parkig lot also serves as the primary access for the Eagleville Preserve Trail (http://www.masfieldct.org/tow/departmets/recreatio/parks_ad_preserves/trailguides/eagleville.pdf), just dowstream o river left. Paddlig Coditios o Eagleville Lake There is o curret o the lake, but it ca be widy. Stay close to the lee shore for shelter from the wid. This is a popular destiatio for aglers, so please be courteous by steerig clear of them. 12 Willimatic River water trail
River Mile 15.2 i Masfield o RIVER LEFT Access & Portage: Eagleville Preserve Trail o Route 275 (dowstream side) Lat/Log: 41.783823, -72.280312 Take Route 275 from Route 31 i Covetry (1.7 miles) or Route 32 i Masfield (.3 mile) to the river at Eagleville Dam. Park i the lot by the dam o the Masfield side ad carry across Route 275 to lauch o the dowstream side of the bridge alog Masfield s Eagleville Preserve Trail (http://www.masfieldct.org/tow/departmets/recreatio/parks_ ad_preserves/trailguides/eagleville.pdf) This is the place to put ito (or back ito) the river to paddle dowstream to Route 66 i Columbia. There are several places to put i alog the trail, but the bak here is i poor shape. Paddlers eed to put i over tree roots, large rocks ad several steel barrels filled with cocrete. As members of your group put i, cosider paddlig upstream to play i the curret util your whole group is o the water. Paddlig Coditios to Route 66 Bridge Water levels are less of a cocer from here o thaks to a deeper river chael but ca still be scratchy whe the USGS Olie Stream Gauge i Covetry reads lower tha 4.2. The curret rages from slow to quick i the beds depedig o water flow. As you head dowstream from the dam, watch for a arrow chute bedig to the left. Stay o right side of the arrow chael. The curret will push you toward woody debris o the right bak, but you ll wat to steer clear. There are five road bridges i this sectio of the river: Covetry/Depot Street Route 31 Cider Mill Road Route 6 ad Route 66 (where you take out). The river is arrow, wooded ad flows alog railroad tracks ad farms. Watch for low braches, straiers i the river (falle trees) ad sad bars. Cautio: Durig high flows i this sectio, partly submerged barbed wire feces alog flooded baks ad fields become extremely dagerous straiers. Dowstream of the Route 31 bridge, stay right o the first bed to avoid a gravel bar o the left. Below here, watch for tricky currets. The chael is arrow with possible obstructios. The river takes may twists ad turs before broadeig out ad passig through ope lad. Oce the river passes uder the twi bridges of Route 6 it cotiues with less curret. As you pass uder the rusted railroad bridge i Columbia, look for the take-out o river right, just before the Route 66 bridge. The take-out is a weedy, gradual slope. Water is movig, but usually smooth i this stretch. Cautio: There is o public access to exit the river beyod this poit. If you paddle past the Route 66 bridge, tur aroud at the power lies to avoid dagerous dams i dowtow Willimatic. Paddle Guide 13
River Mile 21.4 i Columbia Take-out Access: Upstream Side of Route 66 Bridge Lat/Log: 41.717607, -72.244654 The Willimatic River is the tow lie betwee Columbia ad Widham/ Willimatic. From Eagleville, at the itersectio of Route 275 ad Route 32, drive south o Route 32 for 5.6 miles, the tur sharp right o Route 66. Cotiue.6 of a mile to far side of the bridge over the river. You are i Columbia ow. Across the street you ll see W.H. Rose Truck ad Equipmet dealer. From dowtow Willimatic, drive west o Route 66 about 1.5 miles to the river; parkig is o the far side of the bridge, o the right. There is off-road parkig through the umarked gap i the guard rail o the upstream side of the bridge; about six vehicles fit i this upaved lot of a former rest area. About six cars fit o the road shoulder, too, ext to the guard rail, from the bridge west to the kettle-hole pod. This former rest area provides access to the river for fisherme as well as caoe ad kayak paddlers, so be courteous to aglers. It is also the termius of the Hop River State Park Trail for hikers ad moutai bikers headed toward Bolto Notch o the abadoed rail bed. The shorelie is icely sloped to the water, but usually muddy where the ramp meets the water directly uder the bridge. Please avoid the mud. Stirrig it up erodes the bak ad silts the water. Ackowledgemets Water Trail Committee of the Willimatic River Alliace, icludig: Larry Diamod Jim Hayes Willimatic River Yacht Club Cythia MacDoald Paul Pribula Meg Reich Betty Robiso Vicki Wetherell Lois Bruiooge, Bill Reid ad the Water Trail Steerig Committee of The Last Gree Valley Joh Moroe Natioal Park Service Rivers & Trails Program Bruce Hooke Photo Credits Ala Dabrowski Larry Diamod Jim Hayes Cythia MacDoald Joh Moroe Paul Pribula Meg Reich Vicki Wetherell Fudig for pritig was provided by the Federal Highways Admiistratio Recreatioal Trails Grats Program admiistered by the Coecticut Departmet of Eergy ad Evirometal Protectio (DEEP). 14 Willimatic River water trail
Iteret Addresses, or URLs, Embedded i Text America Caoe Associatio: www.americacaoe.org America Whitewater: www.americawhitewater.org America Whitewater Safety Code: www.americawhitewater.org/cotet/wiki/safety:start Appalachia Moutai Club: www.outdoors.org Collisville Caoe & Kayak: www.cckstore.com Coecticut Boater s Guide at www.ct.gov/dep Easter Moutai Sports Schools: www.emskayak.com Google Earth: http://www.google.com/earth/idex.html LL Bea Kayakig Courses: www.llbea.com/outdoorsolie/odp/courses/kayakigcourses/idex.html Natioal Park Service Rivers & Trails Program: www.ps.gov/rtca Natioal Recreatio Trails: http://www.americatrails.org/atioal recreatiotrails/ The Last Gree Valley: www.tlgv.org The Last Gree Valley Caledar: www.tlgv.org/resources/caledar.html The Last Gree Valley Iteractive Map: www.tlgv.org/preserve/watershedprojects/water-trail-earth-map.html Willimatic River Alliace: www.willimaticriver.org Willimatic River Alliace Paddle Resources: http://www.willimaticriver.org/recreatio/paddlig.html Stream Gauges Google Earth Display of Every Stream Gauge by State, Regio or Natiowide: http://waterwatch.usgs.gov/ew/idex.php?id=real&sid=w kml Google Map of Every Stream Gauge by State, Regio or Natiowide: http://waterwatch.usgs.gov/ew/idex.php?id=real&sid=w gmap USGS Olie Stream Gauge Merrow Meadow: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ct/wis/uv?dd_ cd=05&format=gif&period=7&site_o=01119500 USGS Olie Stream Gauge - Covetry (approximately River Mile 18.2, just above the Route 31 bridge): http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ct/wis/uv?ddcd=05&format=gif&period=7&site_o=01119500 Paddle Guide 15