Olney Pond (Boat Ramp) - Lincoln Woods

41° 53.363' N    71° 25.692' W   See this location in: Google Maps   Map Server   Acme Maps

This 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.

Description & Overview:

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RI DEM in partnership with The Nature Conservancy is making some major improvements to this boat ramp in the spring of 2021. The new ramp will be a 12-foot wide, single-lane concrete ramp with an adjacent row of floating docks and a concrete abutment that allows for easier launching and retrieval of vessels for boaters of all abilities. A second T-shaped dock anchored to the shore will include an ADA-compliant canoe and kayak launch, providing universal access for paddling enthusiasts. A newly paved parking area will also be built with ADA-designated spaces, including one for trailered vehicles.

The ramp will close for construction in February 2021 and should be open again by Memorial Day.

Olney Pond is the 128-acre reservoir that forms the heart of Lincoln Woods State Park, a 627-acre park just a few miles north of downtown Providence. There are various places around the shoreline where hand carried boats could be launched, however, the best location is on the east side where there is cement plank boat ramp suitable for launching trailered boats as well as hand carried boats.

The boat ramp here is fairly basic: just concrete "planks" set into the gravel lake bed. But since there is a 10 H.P. limit on all outboard motors used on the pond nobody should be launching a large boat here. No motors at all are allowed on holidays and weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

The road to the parking lot for the boat ramp is a bit rough, but the parking lot itself is in good condition (as of May 2014).

Despite its proximity to Rhode Island's major population centers, the pond is quite scenic with tree-lined shores, large boulders, rocky outcroppings, various small islands dotting the pond, and many small coves to explore. The park is popular at all times of year so this is not a place to get away from people on a nice weekend or even a nice summer weekday, but it is a pretty pond very close to Providence and the convoluted shoreline makes the pond feel larger than it is.

This area is stocked with trout several times throughout the year.

This site provides access to the following water bodies in the Moshassuck River watershed: Olney Pond.

Location:

Town: Lincoln

Driving Landmarks: From Route 146 North take the Twin River Road exit and turn left at the end of the ramp. From Route 146 South take the Twin River Road exit and turn right at the end of the ramp.

Follow Twin River Road into Lincoln Woods State Park and when you come to the T-junction just inside the park turn right. Follow this one-way road for 1.4 miles, past the large parking lot for the beach and on around the pond to where there is a marked turn-off on the left for the boat ramp. To get back out of the park you can continue to follow the one-way park loop road around the pond back to the entrance.

You can also get to the boat ramp by coming in the entrance from Route 123, Great Road.

Access & Waters:

Water 'Features' At Site: lake/reservior

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 ramp

ADA Accessible Boat Launch? no

Shoreline: Cement plank boat ramp

Float/Dock: no

Hours of Operation: Sunrise to sunset, year-round (road near boat ramp closed in winter)

Fees: No fee to enter park or use boat ramp. There are fees for some on-land facilities.

Parking:

Parking: yes: 40 spaces, no overnight parking

ADA Accessible Parking Spaces? no

Nearby Amenities:

Public Restrooms: In the summer there are restrooms at various locations in the park

Outfitter: REI rents kayaks and also runs a kayak school on Olney Pond in the summer months. See the outfitters list for more details.

Sources for More Information:

AMC Quiet Water Canoe Guide: 2nd Edition, page 178

Website: Rhode Island State Parks web page for Lincoln Woods State Park

Ecological, Cultural & Recreational Attractions:

Lincoln woods has many amenities including picnic areas, a swimming beach, walking trails, playing fields, horseback riding trails, and mountain biking trails. REI runs a kayak school here in the summer. In the winter, Olney Pond is popular for ice fishing and ice skating.

Photographs:

View Across the Pond, with the Boat Ramp in the Foreground

Photography by: Bruce G. Hooke

Date of Photograph: May 21, 2014

This photograph was made in the spring when the lake level was unusually high.

View North from the Boat Ramp

Photography by: Bruce G. Hooke

Date of Photograph: May 21, 2014

This photograph was made in the spring when the lake level was unusually high.

View South from the Boat Ramp

Photography by: Bruce G. Hooke

Date of Photograph: May 21, 2014

This photograph was made in the spring when the lake level was unusually high.

The Large Gravel Parking Lot

Photography by: Bruce G. Hooke

Date of Photograph: May 21, 2014

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