Quinnipiac River in Connecticut

Trip Overview

This is a 3.5 mile stretch of the Quinnipiac River that starts in Southington's south end and runs south into Cheshire.

You'll need to have two cars for this trip - one at each end as the river current and all the obstacles will make it a one-way trip only.

The water is very shallow and winds its way through a Disney-like Amazon environment complete with water fowl along the entire route. If it were not for the many trees that literally block or severely restrict passage, I would put this down as a great spot - but I can't because it was just a pain in the butt to figure out how to maneuver in certain spots.

All in all, we just needed to portage once and do some full-speed-ahead maneuvers about 3-4 other times to get over some trees. But when you're not figuring out how to get by those trees, the paddling is unbelievable! It is a surreal experience - nothing but you and nature.

Your trip will take you under I-691, then East Johnson Ave., then under Blacks Road, alongside Quinnipiac Park, and finally under Cheshire Street (Rt. 70). About another quarter mile down on the left where there's a small falls (about a foot) you can pull out on the left.

If you enjoy kayaking, you need to give this a shot.

Accommodations:

Just a big, state-owned dirt parking area for the launch site and a public parking area for about 10 cars for the pullout spot.

Fees:

None

Directions:

1090 Meridan Waterbury Turnpike is the launch area. It is a large dirt area just south of the road (322). The takeout point is the south point of Sindall Road where there is public parking for about 10 cars for the linear trail.

Resources:

Yes, we found this brochure on line www.qrwa.org/Publications/CanoeableGuide.pdf and decided to give it a try. The back page shows the route.