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 boats from trailers. Boat ramps can normally be used to launch canoes and kayaks but please do your best to keep the boat ramp clear for boat trailers.
Site Name: School Street Pier
Alternate Site Name: Old State Pier
Town: Pawtucket
Driving Landmarks: From I-95 North (e.g., coming from Providence) take exit 28 for School Street. Bear right at the fork in the ramp, which will put you on School Street south. Go 3/10 mile south on School Street and look for a turn off on the right leading down to the shore. 700 feet down this road, look for a turn off to the right leading down to the dock.
From I-95 South take Exit 29 for Broadway and downtown Pawtucket. The ramp is long but it will eventually put you on Broadway headed south. Go a half mile south on Broadway. As you are approaching the bridge over the Blackstone River, turn left onto Main Street. Go 400 feet up Main Street and turn right onto Water Street. Go 1/2 mile south on Water Street (it will merge with School Street) and look for a turn off on the right leading down to the shore. 700 feet down this road, look for a turn off to the right leading down to the dock.
ADA Accessible Boat Launch? no
Shoreline: Hard surface boat ramp
Float/Dock: low float or dock
Parking: parking lot
ADA Accessible Parking Spaces? no
Water 'Features' At Site: estuary
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 largely undeveloped town park has a concrete slab boat ramp, a floating dock, and a large parking lot. The site is popular for fishing but can also be used to launch trailered and hand carried boats into the Seekonk River. If launching hand-carried boats from the boat ramp please do your best to keep the ramp clear for trailered boats.
One challenge is that the ramp is narrow enough that it is not possible to place a 17' kayak sideways across the ramp to enter the kayak and the ramp is too steep to get into the kayak in any other way. In addition, visibility is poor so there is the risk of someone backing a trailer down the ramp without seeing a kayaker on the ramp.
The Seekonk River is a long tidal estuary that starts where the Blackstone River ends in downtown Pawtucket and continues down between Providence and East Providence until it joins the Providence River in Providence Harbor. The convoluted shoreline provides some good potential for exploration in a small boat as long as you pay attention to the wind and tides. The tide runs hard through the narrows at the south end of the Seekonk, too hard to paddle against at times, and it is a complex current that does not always flow in the direction you would expect given the state of the tide. However, there are 3 miles of river to explore between this boat ramp and the narrows, so it is easy to stay clear of the narrows and still do quite a bit of paddling.
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.