Willimantic River Water Trail Paddle Guide A National RecReatioN Trail iN c oNNecTicuT SecoNd ediTioN – MAy 2013 Welcome! The Willimantic River Water Trail provides more than 21 miles of pad- What is A Water Trail? dling enjoyment and challenges between Stafford Springs and Wind- ham, Connecticut, with only one short portage. This guide describes It is the combination of a waterway public-access launches and landing areas, as well as river features you with paddle routes and segments, will find along the way. clearly described in maps and Like all streams and rivers, the Willimantic changes character every day, guides, managed for public access even hourly. While this guide cannot possibly predict your experiences and conserved to protect land and on the water, it does provide basic information and sources for real-time water resources – the very resourc- information. The guide encourages you to ask questions, learn from oth- es paddlers come here to enjoy. ers and make careful decisions before you head out. Ultimately, it’s up to you to make good choices based on the weather, the river, your paddling The Last Green Valley, Inc. is teaming expertise and equipment. More specific safety tips are suggested below. up with paddlers, outfitters and river groups like the Willimantic River Alliance to create water CAUTION: Do not use this guide as your only source of trails on the rivers of the National navigational information. Conditions on the river change Heritage Corridor. For more infor- constantly, sometimes drastically. It is your responsibility mation, or to join The Last Green to be aware of changing conditions and the abilities of Valley or the Willimantic River your group so your decisions lead to a safe trip. Alliance, please go to www.tlgv.org or www.willimanticriver.org. What is a National Recreation Trail? the Secretary of interior recognizes “exemplary trails of local and regional significance” as national Recreation trails (nRt) after a rigorous application process. in may 2012, Secretary Ken Salazar designated the Willimantic River Water trail as an nRt. For information on all nRts, visit american trails. Published in May 2013 by the Willimantic River Alliance and The Last Green Valley, Inc. Sections of the Guide may be reproduced with credit. 2 • Willimantic RiveR WateR tRail Willimantic River Water Trail Map Paddle Guide • 3 Overview of the Willimantic River Water trail There are thee major segments of the Willimantic River Water Trail: • rapids & quickwater of the narrow upper section, • flatwater impoundment above Eagleville Lake Dam and • moderate current and flatwater down to Route 66. are You new to Paddling? If you are a beginner or your group includes youngsters and novices, consider paddling at the following access site to practice and gain experience where there is no current. RiveR Mile LauNche foR leSS-exPeRieNced PAddleRS 13.7 Mansfield River Park canoe launch on-the-Water Paddle how to find locations & calculate distance Skills Training River mile Google® earth Whether you are new to paddling To describe locations and relative On The Last Green Valley website, or have messed about in small distances on the river, the guide you will find a link to detailed boats since you were a kid, there identifies every point by River Mile, data and an interactive map for are always new skills to learn for beginning with 0.0 at the Com- the Willimantic River Water Trail. fun and safety. The following muter Lot in Stafford Springs and This map was created in Google groups offer excellent paddling ending with 21.4 at the Route 66 Earth, a free online mapping pro- and outdoor safety workshops: bridge in Columbia. gram. You do not need to down- Appalachian Mountain Club load Google Earth software to use Street address Collinsville Canoe & Kayak this link, but to view more ad- Because there are rarely structures vanced features, such as a flyover Eastern Mountain Sports Schools with specific addresses at launch of the Willimantic River, you will LL Bean Kayaking Courses sites, street addresses are approxi- need to download Google Earth. mate and derived from Google® Maps. internet address links latitude & longitude Website addresses are embedded in Paddle Guide text wherever you Called lat/long for short, these see a word or phrase in blue and decimal coordinates are precise underlined. When viewing the and function well on sites like Paddle Guide on a computer con- Google® Maps, Google® Earth and nected to the internet, you can go Bing®. Copy the coordinates into to a website by holding down the the search window of Google® or Control key and clicking on the a mapping website (yes, the first is word or phrase. If you are reading a positive number and the second a paper copy, use the alphabetical, is negative) and it will display spelled-out listing of every website that location. Note: in this Paddle address in the Appendix to enter Guide we use decimal lat/longs. addresses manually. Coordinates can also be expressed in minutes and seconds, but that format doesn’t work as well with online mapping sites. 4 • Willimantic RiveR WateR tRail Glossary of PAddling TeRMS Boat Ramp: A public launch ramp Painter: A length of rope (known Sweep: An experienced paddler that is available for power boats as as a line) tied to the bow or stern. who remains the last boat in a well as canoes and kayaks. See also group. He or she makes sure no- PFd – Personal Flotation device: canoe launch. body is left behind and is ready to The Coast Guard has shifted back help with rescues. Bony: An adjective paddlers use to to calling them life jackets. No describe rocky, scratchy conditions matter the name, they only work if uSGS: Stands for the US Geologi- due to low water. you wear them. cal Survey. This agency and the US Army Corps of Engineers maintain Bow and Stern: The front and Portage: Derived from French, it a network of river gauges (some- back ends of a boat, respectively. means “to carry.” A portage is the times spelled gages) to register wa- trail you walk to go around an ob- canoe launch: A less developed ter level and flow data online every struction (like a dam) or from one public launch site that is suitable 15 minutes. These reading are use- water body to another. It’s also a for launching canoes and kayaks ful to decide whether the river flow verb that means to carry your boat by hand. See also boat ramp. is too low, too high or just right for and gear. cubic Feet per Second, or “cfs”: your skills and equipment. Quickwater: Stretches of river River flow is measured as the num- Whitewater: Stretches of river with enough current to carry the ber of cubic feet of water flowing with enough flow and rocks to boat and create ripples, but not as past a certain point each second; create breaking waves of water. steep or rough as rapids. Gener- it’s called cfs for short. River On the standardized scale from ally, you can navigate quickwater gauges provide online readings I to V of whitewater difficulty, by following the main current. updated every 15 minutes, with the Willimantic has Class I (also Also known as Class I whitewater graphs showing trends. called quickwater) and a few (see below). eddy: A back-current along the Class II spots at higher water edge of a river. Eddies are a good River left and River Right: Re- levels. (Adapted from place to pull off to the side, out fers to the river as you face down- www.AmericanWhitewater.org) stream. As in, “Watch for the big of the main current, to rest and class i: Fast moving water with rock on river left.” re-group, or land. Be careful as you riffles and small waves. There are cross into an eddy as your boat may Rock Garden: A section of river few obstructions, all obvious and become less stable momentarily. with many partially submerged easily avoided with little training. rocks. It’s usually applied to areas Flatwater: A section of river with class ii: Straightforward rapids with swift current where strong little or no current, usually due to with wide, clear channels which paddling skills are needed to impounded water behind a dam. are evident without scouting. dodge rocks. impoundment: A body of Occasional maneuvering may be flatwater held behind a dam. Strainer: A fallen tree, partially required, but rocks and medium- submerged in the current, so the sized waves are easily avoided by lee: An adjective, meaning shel- limbs and branches “strain” the trained paddlers. tered or away from the wind. By water. People and boats pushed by staying close to the lee shore, current into a strainer put them- you’ll be exposed to less wind and selves and rescuers in extreme paddling will be easier. danger! Paddle Guide • 5 Preparation checklist Before you Go n Attach a whistle to each life Think ahead and prepare for a jacket so paddlers can signal safe trip. A safe paddle outing for help in an emergency. begins before you leave home. It’s up to you to make good decisions n Bring a good map to track your for yourself and your group. Learn progress and to find a road or how from the American Canoe assistance, if necessary. Association. Also, check out the n Bring an extra paddle for each American Whitewater Safety Code. boat, water bottles, food or energy snacks, hats, sunglass- life Jacket! es, sunscreen and bug spray. Just wear it! Smart paddlers wear n Have a line (known as a life jackets at all times.