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: Wilson Park
Town: North Kingstown
Driving Landmarks: On Route 1 south, just before Wickford, you will pass a Rhode Island State Police Barracks on your right. In another 0.2 miles, turn right onto Intrepid Drive. There is a small sign for Wilson Park at this turn. Follow Intrepid Drive straight ahead to its end at the parking lot for the boat ramp. The boat ramp is at the east end of this parking lot, near a small gazebo.
Coming from the south on Route 1 north the turn onto Intrepid Drive is 0.2 miles after you pass the traffic light for West Main Street.
Shoreline: sandy shoreline and concrete plank boat ramp
Float/Dock: low float or dock
Parking: parking lot, 100 spaces
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:The boat ramp here is in poor condition but there is plenty of shoreline from which to launch hand carried boats. The better area for launching hand carried boats is on Mill Cove, behind the picnic area, away from the boat ramp. There is a marshy beach here. If the parking lot at the boat ramp is full there is more parking in a lot and field behind the primary lot.
Wickford Harbor is a convoluted cove with many coves and islands to explore in a kayak or other small boat making it a great place for kayaking. The waters are sheltered but boat traffic should be expected. Outside the breakwaters, Wickford Harbor opens up to the broad waters of Narragansett Bay, with Quonset Point to the north; and Rome Point, Bissel Cove, Fox Island and the Jamestown Bridge to the south. On most days the southwest wind fills in strongly in this area in the morning and blows briskly throughout the afternoon, producing strong waves once you are outside of the harbor, so be prepared for this when planning your trip.
On the nautical charts, the point the boat ramp is located on is identified as "Long Point."
(This description as well as the driving directions are adapted in part from Ed Mullen's book "Kayaking Narragansett Bay" and from Mike Krabach's kayak access website)
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.