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: Silver Spring Lake
Alternate Site Name: Shady Lea Grove
Town: North Kingstown
Driving Landmarks: If you are driving south on Route 4 look for a DEM sign on the right for Shady Lea Grove, 1/2 mile south of the light at West Allenton Road. If you are driving north on Route 1, take Route 4 where it branches off from Route 1 and then go 0.6 miles to the light at West Allenton Road where you can reverse direction and go back south 1/2 mile to Shady Lea Grove.
ADA Accessible Boat Launch? no
Shoreline: There is a nice section of gently sloping gravel shoreline that is great for launching hand-carried boats. Just head towards the water from the parking area and look for the best access.
Float/Dock: no
Approximate Length of Carry between Car Access and Water: 125 feet
Hours of Operation: Closed from 1/2 hr. after sunset to 5 am, except for fishing and boating
Parking: parking lot, 10 spaces
ADA Accessible Parking Spaces? no
Water 'Features' At Site: pond
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:Silver Spring Pond is a 19 acre pond managed by DEM for fishing. Only non-motorized boats and boats powered with an electric motor are permitted. There is a fishing access site on the west side of the pond, near the dam, with a small, handicapped accessible fishing dock. However, for launching hand-carried boats the shoreline on the Shady Lea Grove side is better, but it is farther from the car to the water. At the upper end of the pond it transitions to a freshwater marsh and semi-bog, an interesting set of habitats. The pond 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.