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: Blackstone River at Mendon Road (Route 122)
Town: Cumberland
Driving Landmarks: The site is in a Super Stop & Shop Plaza on Mendon Road (Route 122) at the junction with Ann & Hope Way/Mill Street. Pull into the parking lot at the opposite end of the plaza from the Stop & Shop and find a parking space. Look for a gap in the guard rail on the other side of the entrance road. Go through this gap to the bike path just beyond, turn right and go about 200 feet. Look for a dirt path leading off to the left. Follow this path 100 feet to the river.
ADA Accessible Boat Launch? no
Shoreline: Low sand, gravel, and dirt bank. When the river is low, there is a nice gravel bar here to launch from. At higher water levels you can launch from the bank.
Float/Dock: no
Approximate Length of Carry between Car Access and Water: 400 feet
Parking: parking lot
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 site provides good access to the Blackstone River below the Pratt Dam. So, it is good place to put in for a paddle down to the take out at Central Falls Landing. This is only a 1.7 mile paddle but on the way you can explore the many coves and backwaters in the Lonsdale Marsh, which can extend your trip by quite a bit. The river is definitely moving in this area (trying to paddle upstream would be quite hard) but it is broad and smooth.
If you have managed to make the difficult portage around Pratt Dam or the long carry from the Front Street bike path access site to the river then this boat launch also provides a useful take out if you do not want to continue downstream from here.
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.