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: Switch Road Wood River Access
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 1 mile. Bear right onto Mechanic Street south and go 0.9 miles. Look for a pull out on the left 500 feet south of the I-95 overpass.
ADA Accessible Boat Launch? no
Shoreline: gently sloping gravel and grass riverbank
Float/Dock: no
Approximate Length of Carry between Car Access and Water: 75 feet
Parking: parking lot, 6 spaces
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 recently rebuilt put-in is a now an excellent canoe and kayak launch. There is a nice paved pull out for parking and a short gravel path leading down to the gently sloping riverbank. Rebuilding the launch was a partnership effort involving the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association, RI DEM, and RI DOT.
The Wood River below here is quiet, wooded, and scenic. Much of the river in this stretch is narrow and winding, but as you get closer to the Woodville Dam the river broadens out into a marshy pond, before narrowing down again for the final 1/4 mile before the dam. The Woodville Dam, 4.5 miles downriver from this put-in, can be portaged by taking out on the right above the dam, carrying across the bridge, and putting in on the left bank below the dam.
From Woodville Dam it is another 2 1/2 miles to the take out at Alton Pond.
The Wood-Pawcatuck River Guide is highly recommended for paddling on the Wood-Pawcatuck River system.
This area is stocked with trout several times throughout the year.
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.