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: Lonsdale Drive-In
Town: Lincoln
Driving Landmarks: The entrance to the Lonsdale Drive-In site is at the west end of the John Street (Route 123) bridge. Look for the large Lonsdale Drive-In sign, restored to serve as a marker for the site, and a smaller Blackstone Valley Bike Path sign.
ADA Accessible Boat Launch? no
Shoreline: Grass and mud
Float/Dock: no
Approximate Length of Carry between Car Access and Water: 250 feet
Parking: on street, 24 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:The old Lonsdale Drive-In site is now a restored meadow and wetland along the Blackstone River. The Blackstone River Bikeway goes through the area and the parking lot off John Street for the bike path provides good access to the Blackstone River via a newly constructed set of stairs that lead to a path to the river. To find the stairs walk across the bike path at the upper end of the parking lot and look for steps leading down the bank into the woods. Follow this path down to the river, where there is a good if slightly muddy place for launching small boats just upriver from the bridge. The Blackstone River in this area is broad and slow, making for easy paddling. At most river levels it is quite possible to make a round trip down to Valley Falls Pond and then back up to the put-in. Valley Falls Pond is an extensive area of wetlands with many side channels to explore. Paddling down the Blackstone, look for a large opening on the right, which leads into the main part of Valley Falls Pond. There are various branches leading off from the main pond, and the whole area is a great place to see birds. It is about 3/4 mile from the put-in at the Lonsdale Drive-In site to the entrance to Valley Falls Pond.
The next put-in downriver from the Lonsdale Drive-In put-in is a mile downriver at Central Falls Landing where you must stop before the Valley Falls Dam. Continuing downriver below Central Falls Landing involves a long portage.
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.