Looking for a place to canoe or kayak [within a few hours drive]

[madscientist01.livejournal.com]

I always get great advice in this community, so here goes: Some friends and I want to spend a day paddling canoes and kayaks on a lake or river. We have 2 boats but may need or want to rent more depending on how many of us show. Any recommendations? We're willing to drive a few hours away from Boston. Nothing beats personal recommendations... thanks!

Comments

[ron_newman]

South Bridge Boat House in Concord.

(A very short walk from the Concord commuter train station, for those who may need that)

Wakefield and Stoneham

[veda815.livejournal.com]

This company does rentals in Wakefield and Stoneham: http://www.outdoorrec.com/home.html

I have no personal experience with them though, I just saw their ad on facebook the other day :P

The lake in Wakefield is also a short walk from the commuter stations as well, fwiw.

Re: Wakefield and Stoneham

[veda815.livejournal.com]

I should clarify that this is at Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield and Spot Pond in Stoneham. Not just a random shop renting stuff.

[glen-highland.livejournal.com]

Great for canoeing if you're looking for something tranquil and scenic:
http://www.nashobapaddler.com/pages/frame_welcome.html
They have rentals. Have lunch on the Groton School boathouse dock.

[modlin.livejournal.com]

I second the recommendation for the South Bridge Boat House in Concord. Also:

Close by and easy for a quick trip: Charles River Canoe and Kayak (http://www.paddleboston.com/main.php). The Newton location has more and better boats, but both are good for a paddle.

Good kayaking in Newburyport harbor and up the Merrimack River: Plum Island Kayak (http://www.plumislandkayak.com/plum/index.php). This might be good if you want to rent boats, avoid guided tours, and have options for a longer paddle. Watch out for what the tide is doing in the river mouth though.

There are nice guided tours in the Essex River and North Shore area, Essex River Basin Adventures (http://www.erba.com/), and fun tours out of Rockport on Cape Ann: North Shore Kayak (http://www.northshorekayak.com/).

I've also heard good things about kayaking Portsmouth, NH (http://www.portsmouthkayak.com/), but haven't been there myself.

[http://users.livejournal.com/cgull_/]

I'll point out Charles River Canoe and Kayak in Newton. I actually don't know anything about their summer business, but they do an XC ski course and rentals as a sideline in the winter, and they're pretty good at that, so I'd guess they know what they're doing in the summer too.

[cnoocy]

I think that people canoe and kayak on the Mystic, which is very close as well.

[tober.livejournal.com]

In addition to those places that people have mentioned already, there is a location on or in the vicinity of Shore Drive in Medford (off Mystic Ave near the intersection of Mystic Ave and route 28) that offers boat (I am unsure whether it was canoes, kayaks, or other) rentals during the summer or at least has in the past. I have not seen their sign up this year yet and a quick google search turned up nothing.

[joylewis.livejournal.com]

I believe that's the Boys and Girls Club in the Blessing of the Bay boathouse. You can find information on the Mystic River Watershed Association. (http://mysticriver.org/recreation/#ByMysticWellingtonBoatClub)

[ron_newman]

and it's actually in Somerville (though very near the Medford line)

[frederic.livejournal.com]

This might be the one that we went through (I thought it was in Waltham, but perhaps we just paddled to Waltham). The Charles River is pretty nice there and you can rent by the hour or the day, I believe.

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Mystic River from the Blessing of the Bay boat house. Can't get closer to home than that!

Re: Wakefield and Stoneham

[mihmo.livejournal.com]

fwiw I don't believe you are allowed to bring your own boats to Spot Pond. You have to rent or you can't go (total bummer.)

[klingonlandlady.livejournal.com]

second this- it's a nice quiet river, very pretty.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Places I like to kayak include:
The Charles- put in on "Magazine Beach" (across from trader Joes) or up by Charles River Canoe and Kayak in Cambridge/Watertown. Paddle upriver to start the day so you can have an easier second-hlaf of the day coming back down-river.

The Mystic has been mentioned here, BUT- do *not* paddle the Mystic downstream of the Alewife Brook for several days after a rainstorm. The mixed sewer and rain system means used tampons and such floating past you... so, no, don't put in at the Boys and Girls club unless you're okay with the possibility of that (and climbing out of your kayak in that)... upstream of the Alewife Brook it's lovely, and you can connect to the Mystice Lakes (you have to portage from the lower to the upper if you want to do both). Swimming in the Mystic Lakes is nice.

Lake Cochituate- Framingham/Newton, but totally worth the drive. You put in by the beach (and you can rent additional boats (canoes and kayaks) there), and it's quiet and still... but if you want a bigger area, cross under the highway (in your boats, around the left from the put-in area), and suddenly it's a fairly sizeable lake. If you paddle a ways down you can get out and swim in relative privacy, far from the little tiny beach area filled with kids.

Lake Quinsigamond is a bit further, out past 495, but it's neat in that it's a lake that feels like a river. I was out there with a friend on Memorial Day and the amount of powerboat traffic was a bit much, but, duh, it *was* Memorial Day. I suspect any other day would be a little better. I don't think it would be as good for swimming, but it was great for paddling.

There are *so* many awesome places to paddle around here. those of a just a few nice ones.

Have fun!

[ravenword.livejournal.com]

It's in the part of West Newton that's right next to Waltham, so you're not off by much! I used to live in a Brandeis University dorm in Waltham right beside the Charles and often saw canoes and kayaks from this place going by. My boyfriend and his roommate owned a kayak and seemed to like paddling on the same stretch of river.

portsmouth

[wolftone.livejournal.com]

I'll second the recommendation for CRCK. Good people, good boats, very convenient.

As for Portsmouth - be careful up there. Most of the rental places keep you safely in the great bay, but it's possible to get caught in some nasty tidal currents.

Spot Pond

[jimmyfergus.livejournal.com]

Seems there's a good reason though:

This backup reservoir status means that the water in Spot Pond is extremely clear and clean. No swimming or private boats are permitted in an effort to prevent cross contamination from any other source of water.

[genevra-mcneil.livejournal.com]

I've never actually gone paddling here, but my friends who have love The Ipswich River Audubon Sanctuary. They rent canoes if you want, though I think you have to be an Audubon member. It's a stunning sanctuary -- we go walking there a lot and it's very quiet, very green, very peaceful. There are lots of trees and birds and frogs and turtles and dragonflies, if that's what you're looking for.

http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Ipswich_River/index.php

It's about an hour away.

[laryu.livejournal.com]

To paddle the Mystic, where do you recommend you put in upstream of the Alewife Brook?

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that would be the obvious next question, wouldn't it? :) I haven't looked for a place, yet. I only had the one experience on it that was kinnd of gross, even though it was lovely, too, so I've been going elsewhere. Maybe after this weekend I'll have an idea.

[maru-mari.livejournal.com]

the mystic river is not even 2 miles from davis, and if you take it towards the north, you can get to the lake (which isn't too far away and is a nice place to swim).

dooo eeeet. You can put in by whole foods on rt 16.

[in-parentheses.livejournal.com]

I'm not the OP, but I still wanted to thank everyone for a great list of suggestions. Why am I at work and not on the water today??

Thanks!

[madscientist01.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for some great advice. I ended up making the ~30 minute drive to Lake Cochituate near Framingham. It was really easy to find a place to put in and also to rent the additional boats. We paddled from one end of the lake to the other and saw some wildlife, as well as ate our lunch on a nice spot on the shore. After returning the rentals, we tied up the kayaks, made a stop at the ice cream truck for a nice treat, and sat on the beach for awhile. Overall, we had a great day and I would definitely recommend Lake Cochituate as a reasonably close, quiet place to enjoy your boating and even take a swim. I'm hoping to try out some of the other suggestions soon!

[elements.livejournal.com]

I used to live in that same Brandeis dorm quad right by the river.

It's a nice little stretch of river. I now have friends who live on the Waltham side near Brandeis with their backyard facing the river, and have gone kayaking with them through Newton. It's especially nice in autumn when the trees are changing.