Top Paddling Itineraries

It’s paddling season! Are you ready to pull your kayak, canoe or paddleboard out of storage and get yourself out on the water? I am!

Here within the North and South Rivers watershed, there are numerous public launch spots for non-motorized boats. Below you’ll find some of my favorites – along with tips for where to start and end your trip, where to park, and the best time to go. This is not a comprehensive list: there are plenty more options to consider, especially after you’ve gained an understanding of how the tides affect our rivers. Consult our Paddling Guide for more info. 

 

When you go, be sure to always carry a personal flotation device (PFD) – one for each passenger. Check the forecast before you leave. It’s no fun trying to out-paddle a thunderstorm. Remember that wind plays just as much of a role as tide, and plan accordingly if there’s a stiff breeze. And if you’re staging a second vehicle, stage a second set of straps (or carry them with you) so you can secure your boat for the ride home! In addition, Harbormasters advise that you file a Float Plan with them pre-trip, and also post a phone number or email inside your boat, so if you become separated from it, they can find you (and not have to launch a search). 

 

Don’t miss our 2023 Explore South Shore Challenge, Know Your Local Waters. Each week we feature a river, stream, pond or other waterway, and highlight public places you can visit to experience it first-hand. Watch for daily posts on Facebook and Instagram. The program also includes a weekly trivia question, with a chance to win a custom NSRWA prize package. 

Bourne Island Lagoon

South River - Out & Back

Begin at the public launch at Francis Keville Footbridge in Marshfield. Put your boat in the water 2-3 hours before ocean high tide. Paddle downstream for an hour or two, perhaps making a stop at the Bourne Island Lagoon, then ride the rising tide back to your starting place. Parking is available in Marshfield Center. (2-4 hours)

Francis Keville Footbridge

South River - Keville Bridge to Rexhame

Stage a second vehicle at Rexhame Beach or the Marshfield Town Landing. Bring your boat to the public launch at Francis Keville Footbridge in Marshfield, and put it in the water 3 hours after ocean high tide. Ride the receding tide to your second vehicle, perhaps stopping to enjoy the Rexhame Dunes along the way. Parking is available in Marshfield Center. (2+ hours on the water)

Marshfield Town Landing

Hanover Public Launch

North River - Upper Reaches Out & Back

Begin at the Hanover Public Launch, where there is ample parking. Put your boat in the water at ocean high tide or within 1-2 hours after. Paddle downstream to the Washington Street Bridge, or perhaps a little farther, to explore Third Herring Brook. Then return to your starting place, perhaps exploring Pembroke’s Herring Brook on the way back. (2+ hours)

North River near Third Herring Brook

Herring Brook in Pembroke

Pembroke Town Forest

North River - Pembroke to Marshfield

Stage a second vehicle at the Marshfield Launch at Union Street Bridge. Bring your boat to the Pembroke Town Forest on Brick Kiln Lane. Put your boat in the water 2-3 hours after the ocean high tide. Enjoy a one-way excursion to Marshfield with the receding tide, with views of Route 3, Second Herring Brook, and various historic shipyards. Consider a stop at Couch Beach. (3+ hours on the water)

Marshfield Public Launch

the North River at Couch Beach

North River - Couch Beach Out & Back

Begin at the Marshfield Public Launch on Union Street. Put your boat in the water 1-2 hours before ocean high tide and head upstream to Couch Beach. Stretch your legs at Couch Beach and then return to your starting place with the slack/receding tide. (3+ hours).

Damon's Point

North River - Estuary Out & Back

Begin at the Marshfield Public Launch on Union Street. Put your boat in the water about 2 hours before ocean low tide and paddle downstream to Damon’s Point and the North River Estuary. (Be careful to avoid the river mouth.) Then ride the rising tide upstream to return to your starting place. Consider exploring Cove Creek on the way. (2.5+ hours)

Driftway Conservation Park

Herring River to North River

Stage a second vehicle at the Marshfield Public Launch on Union Street. Bring your boat to Driftway Conservation Park, and put in the water 2-4 hours before ocean high tide. Ride the rising tide up Herring River, and then turn upstream on the North River, continuing past Damon’s Point and the Route 3A Bridge, eventually returning to your second vehicle. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PADDLE INTO THE RIVER MOUTH! (2+ hours on the water)

Route 3A Bridge

The Spit

Herring River - The Spit Out & Back

Begin at Driftway Conservation Park. Put your boat in the water 1-2 hours before ocean low tide. Paddle downstream to The Spit, and take some time to explore while the tide is out. Return to the Driftway as the tide comes back in. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PADDLE INTO THE RIVER MOUTH! (1 hour on the water with time to explore)

by Kezia Bacon

June 2023

 

Kezia Bacon's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to protecting our waters. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. You will also find 26+ years of Kezia’s Nature columns there. For more information about the Explore South Shore 2023 Challenge, visit https://www.nsrwa.org/get-outdoors/2023-explore-south-shore-challenge

 

The Bay Circuit Trail on the South Shore

Do you know about the Bay Circuit Trail? Originally conceived in 1929 as an “outer Emerald Necklace,” it’s a corridor of public open space properties that begins at the mouth of the Merrimack River in Newburyport, and extends in a wide arc around Boston via Lowell, Marlborough, Walpole and Bridgewater, all the way to Kingston Bay!

Bay Farm Conservation Area, Duxbury

Development of the Bay Circuit Trail proceeded slowly through the 20^th century, but kicked into high gear in 2012 when the Appalachian Mountain Club helped to complete and enhance the project. There are now more than 230 miles of multi-use pathways, linking 37 Massachusetts towns. Visit the Bay Circuit Trail website for detailed maps and narrative trail guides. (https://www.baycircuit.org)

 

Indian Crossway Conservation Area, Hanson

Here on the South Shore, the Bay Circuit Trail extends through Hanson, Pembroke, Kingston and Duxbury, for a total of 38 miles. That’s probably more that you’d like to explore in a single day, but hiking the Bay Circuit Trail would be a fun project to complete in stages. See below for details.

Lansing Bennett Forest, Duxbury

Also, don’t miss our 2023 Explore South Shore Challenge, Know Your Local Waters. Each week we feature a river, stream, pond or other waterway, and highlight public places you can visit to experience it first-hand. Watch for daily posts on Facebook and Instagram. The program also includes a weekly trivia question, with a chance to win a custom NSRWA prize package. 

Smith-Nawazelski Conservation Area, Hanson

BCT in Hanson

The Bay Circuit Trail (BCT) enters the South Shore at the Smith-Nawazelski Conservation Area in Hanson, crossing over Poor Meadow Brook from East Bridgewater. Parking is available at 482 Elm Street in Hanson. Continue following the trail through the Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area(382 Pleasant Street), Indian Crossway Conservation Area (199 Crooker Place), and The Last Meadows (53 Pierce Avenue). Watch for future BCT connections to Wampatuck Pond. In the meantime, the next stop is the Hanson Veterans Memorial Town Forest (723 Indian Head Street), followed by Camp Kiwanee and the Alton Smith Reserve. Along the way, you’ll pass from the Poor Meadow Brook (Satucket River) watershed, through the Great Cedar Swamp, and into the Indian Head Brook (North River) watershed. 

Tubbs Meadow, Pembroke

BCT in Pembroke

The Bay Circuit Trail offers a trail link between Hanson’s Alton Smith Reserve and Pembroke’s J.J. Shepherd Memorial Forest (483 Mattakeesett Street). The route continues past Great Sandy Bottom Pond and Little Sandy Bottom Pond to Tubbs Meadow (139 Monroe Street), where it then divides into two branches, north and south. While most of Pembroke’s Ponds are part of the North River watershed, at Tubbs Meadow, the Bay Circuit Trail passes into the Jones River watershed.

Pembroke High School Trails

The Northern Branch (Duxbury)

The Northern Branch of the final section of the Bay Circuit Trail begins at Tubbs Meadow and continues along the trails at Pembroke High School and Hobomock Elementary (81 Learning Lane). The next public property to visit along the way is Duxbury’s Ashdod Forest, which connects to Lansing Bennett Forest (262 Union Bridge Road), a huge property with significant BCT mileage. Then continue to the Duxbury Bogs on East Street, followed by Round Pond Conservation Area (480 Mayflower Street). The final stop, after a long stretch of Elm Street, is Bay Farm, where you’ll find an official “southern terminus” marker, plus some interpretive signage relating to the trail. This route takes you through three watersheds – the Jones River, the South River, and Kingston Bay.

Veterans Commemorative Town Forest, Pembroke

The Southern Branch (Kingston)

An alternate route for the final section of the Bay Circuit Trail proceeds through several properties in Kingston, nearly all in the watershed of the Jones River. From Tubbs Meadow, the BCT continues through Pembroke’s Veterans Commemorative Town Forest (School Street) and onward to Kingston’s Silver Lake Sanctuary (Barse’s Lane), the Cranberry Watershed Preserve (54 Lake Street), the Hathaway Preserve (83 Wapping Road) and Sampson Forest & Memorial Park (67 Elm Street). Again, after a long stretch of roadway, the trail concludes at Bay Farm on Kingston Bay (31 Loring Street, Kingston).

Silver Lake Sanctuary, Kingston

by Kezia Bacon

May 2023

 

Kezia Bacon's articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local non-profit organization devoted to protecting our waters. For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. You will also find 26+ years of Kezia’s Nature columns there. For more information about the Explore South Shore 2023 Challenge, visit https://www.nsrwa.org/get-outdoors/2023-explore-south-shore-challenge