Stillhouse Cove

41° 46.072' N    71° 23.318' W   See this location in: Google Maps   Map Server   Acme Maps

This is a site for launching boats from trailers. Boat ramps can normally be used to launch canoes and kayaks but please do your best to keep the boat ramp clear for boat trailers.

Description & Overview:

The shoreline at Stillhouse Cove is a public park that is basically a grassy strip at the southern end of Narragansett Boulevard, overlooking Rhode Island Yacht Club. Parking is a bit tricky. There's no parking along Narragansett Boulevard but it should be possible to park along Ocean Avenue (but check carefully for no parking signs). If you can't find parking there parking is available back up closer to Broad Street but that likely means unloading your boat and gear and then moving your car.

There is a boat ramp off Narragansett Boulevard but it is only usable for trailered boats at very high tides due to the poor condition of the ramp. There is also no space between the head of the ramp and Narragansett Boulevard, meaning that you need to be proficient with backing up your trailer to avoid blocking the road for long periods of time.

This site works fine at all tides as an access site for hand carried boats. At low tide you can also follow Ocean Avenue to the end and go down the public stairs there and launch from the beach. However, this beach disappears at high tide. This site provides access to the lower Providence River, which can get rough. Stay clear of commercial traffic following the channel to and from the Port of Providence.

This site provides access to the following water bodies: Providence River.

Location:

Alternate Site Name: Rhode Island Yacht Club

Town: Cranston

Driving Landmarks: From I-95 take exit 16 to Route 10 east. At the end of Route 10, turn left onto Route 12 east (Park Ave.). Follow Park Avenue across Route 1 and on to Broad Street. Turn right on Broad Street and then left onto Ocean Avenue in 1/2 mile. Follow Ocean Avenue down to the cove.

Access & Waters:

Water 'Features' At Site: estuary, ocean/bay

Note: Because one boat launch can access, say, both a lake and a river or both the upstream and downstream portions of a river, not all paddling trips at a given site will necessarily encounter all of the features listed.

Type of Access: Boat ramp

ADA Accessible Boat Launch? no

Shoreline: The shoreline is rocky with riprap and cobbles near the high tide line, transitioning to sand and then muddy gravel as the tide recedes. The boat ramp ends above the low tide line in sand and gravel that has a very gentle slope, so this ramp is only useful to trailered boats at high tide.

Float/Dock: no

Approximate Length of Carry between Car Access and Water: 25 feet

Parking:

Parking: on street

Sources for More Information:

Other Guidebooks: Site 2 in Ed Mullen's book "Kayaking Narragansett Bay"

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