Settler's Rock

41° 13.484' N    71° 34.042' W   See this location in: Google Maps   Map Server   Acme Maps

This is a site for launching hand-carried boats such as canoes or kayaks.

Description & Overview:

This is a site for experienced paddlers only! You are launching into the wide open waters of Block Island Sound in an area where strong currents and heavy waves are normal. 3/4 mile northwest of here is Sandy Point, the northern tip of Block Island. Use great caution going over the bar at the end of the point because the tide can run at 4 or 5 knots here and kick up very rough seas. Even in calm conditions the current can be too strong to paddle against. This bar can be avoided by portaging across the tip of the point, but you will still be on open ocean, unprotected waters. Once around the point, the entrance to New Harbor is 2.6 miles south.

Heading southeast from this put-in takes you down the east side of Block Island along Clay Head Bluffs and towards the Old Harbor. It is a 5 mile paddle to the old harbor. At the Old Harbor ferry landing you should be able to find a taxi that can take you back to your car at the access site.

Getting to Block Island requires more planning than most other paddling destinations in Rhode Island. Kayaks can be taken on the ferry either on top of a car or without a car. For the latest rates and schedules, and to make reservations, check with the ferry company, Interstate Navigation (see link below). Some of the taxis on the island can carry kayaks so it is usually possible to get a taxi to take you and your kayak and gear from the ferry landing to a put-in elsewhere on the island.

This site provides access to the following water bodies: Block Island Sound.

Location:

Alternate Site Name: North Light

Town: New Shoreham (Block Island)

Nearest Town Center: New Shoreham

Driving Landmarks: This site is at the northern tip of Block Island, at the end of Corn Neck Road. It is about 4 miles to the here by road from the ferry landing at the old harbor. If driving, turn right off the ferry landing onto Water Street and go 1/4 mile and turn right onto Corn Neck Road. Follow Corn Neck Road until it ends.

Access & Waters:

Water 'Features' At Site: ocean/bay

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.

Type of Access: Boat launch for hand carried boats

ADA Accessible Boat Launch? no

Shoreline: rocks, sand and gravel

Float/Dock: no

Approximate Length of Carry between Car Access and Water: 50 feet

Parking:

Parking: yes: 20 spaces

ADA Accessible Parking Spaces? no

Nearby Amenities:

Public Restrooms: No

Sources for More Information:

Other Guidebooks: Site 57 in Ed Mullen's book

Website: Interstate Navigation (Block Island Ferry) website

Ecological, Cultural & Recreational Attractions:

A rock with a plaque on it near the put-in marks the landing site of the European settlers of Block Island in 1661. Across the road is scenic Sachem Pond with a small sandy beach great for wildlife observation. The parking area for this put-in is also the access point for Sandy Point, North Light, the Block Island National Wildlife Refuge, and the northern end of the Clayhead Nature Trail.

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