Kayaking the Housatonic River

The Facts:

What: Housatonic River
Put In: Pull off parking area near power plant just below dam in Falls Village, CT

Take Out: Housatonic Meadows State Park in Cornwall Bridge, CT (see recommendations below)

Distance: About 10 miles

My wife and I just bought two new kayaks, so we were itching to try them on on a river trip. We decided to do a 10 mile stretch on the Housatonic River. We chose this for our first trip because I am very familiar with the area being originally from this region.

We are both novices to kayaking. This was the first river trip for both of us. It was not a difficult run. The start of the trip is mostly slow moving, so your speed really depends on how hard you want to paddle. We got on the water around 11 AM, stopped for lunch at the covered bridge in West Cornwall, and made it to the the take out area around 3 PM.

The second leg of the trip (after the covered bridge) features more fast moving water. There are some moderate rapids, but certainly nothing that ever put us in any danger of tipping. We would perhaps get a little splash at the most. Even if you did tip (which again, seems remote) the river is mostly narrow and shallow. You would most likely be able to stand, and if not, it would be a short swim to shore. My point is, this trip is certainly acceptable to a novice or recreational kayaker.

We mostly had the river to ourselves, save for the occasional fly fisherman. The trip provided an excellent opportunity for bird watching. We spotted several cranes, hawks, and other assorted birds that you don't normally see at the bird feeder.

I do have one recommendation to improve the trip. Water levels were quite low for about the last mile of our trip. We got hung up on rocks several times. Perhaps it could be different in the spring, or after a heavy rain, but in late August it was an annoyance. Instead of ending at Housatonic Meadows State Park parking area, I recommend finding a spot further north to take out. There are several pull off points that fisherman use along the river on Route 7 that would serve as an adequate parking spot. I would suggest finding a spot just north of the Housatonic Meadows campground. This would reduce the length of the trip, but avoid the last mile of struggling with rocks in 12 inch deep water. The second negative of taking out at Housatonic Meadows is that there is a pretty steep bank to climb from the river to the parking area. It was not a problem for me, but I can see how some people might find it difficult to climb such a bank while trying to drag a kayak.

Despite these take out issues, it was a fun and enjoyable trip. A great day in the outdoors.

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