Welcome to the ExploreRI Mapper
This mapper will help you locate boat launches and other points of interest to for small boat recreation throughout the state of Rhode Island. To get started, click anywhere on the map to zoom in on that area. To zoom out use the zoom control to the left of the map. Once you have zoomed in, boat launches and other points of interest will show up on the map as clickable red icons (see the key below the map). Click on an icon to get more information about that location. If you prefer to search by criteria or simply look up a site by name, try the boat launch search page. If you have a high-speed Internet connection (e.g., DSL or Cable), you may want to try our Google-based mapping system which also includes sites in the Narragansett Bay Watershed in Massachusetts.
KEY
Hand Carry Boat Launch
Boat Ramp
Portage
Other Type of Site
The location you clicked on is a site for launching hand-carried boats such as canoes or kayaks.
Site Name: Hope Valley Fishing Access
Alternate Site Name: James E. Dow Memorial Field
Town: Hopkinton
Driving Landmarks: From Interstate 95 north or south take exit 3B for Route 138 west (Hope Valley/Wyoming). Half a mile on route 138 will bring you to the merge with Route 3. Merge onto Route 3 south and go 0.3 miles. Turn left at the sign for "James E. Dow Memorial Field" and "Hope Valley Fishing Access." The put-in is around behind the baseball diamonds.
ADA Accessible Boat Launch? no
Shoreline: low sandy bank
Float/Dock: no
Approximate Length of Carry between Car Access and Water: 30 feet
Parking: parking lot
ADA Accessible Parking Spaces? yes
Water 'Features' At Site: 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.
Comments & Overview:This site, behind the Little League ballfields, provides access to the Wood River below Wyoming Dam. The natural, sandy stream bank provides a suitable location for launching hand-carried boats.
Most paddlers choose to avoid the 1 1/2 miles of river below here because there are two portages in rapid succession. However, if you do want to paddle this section of the river, heading downstream from here you, after a mile of slow, marshy river you will come to the dam at the old Hope Valley Mill. Take out on the right, cross the bridge and launch into the quickwater behind the old Hope Valley Mill. The next dam, a low dam at the gauging station, can be run at high water or portaged on the right. Once past the Route 95 overpass the river becomes more inviting again. Shortly below I-95 there is a put-in along Switch Road that is a good starting point for a paddle down the next section of the Wood River. This area is stocked with trout several times throughout the year. The Wood-Pawcatuck River Guide is highly recommended for paddling on the Wood-Pawcatuck river system.
For more details see the full site report
The data on this website comes from many sources, including volunteers and organizations across the state of Rhode Island and nearby parts of Massachusetts. We have done our best to make sure the data are accurate and up to date, but any information critical to the success of your trip should be confirmed before you start. The maps and information on this website should not be substituted for nautical charts, topographic maps, or other more detailed maps and guides. We welcome corrections and additions. To send a correction or provide other feedback, please use our feedback form.
Credits: The data for the base maps was provided by the Rhode Island Geographic Information System (RIGIS) and the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. The site data came from numerous sources and organizations. Much of it was collected through the hard work of volunteers for various conservation, watershed and outdoor recreation groups around the state of Rhode Island.