Wyoming Dam Fishing Access

41° 30.953' N    71° 42.172' W   See this location in: Google Maps   Map Server   Acme Maps

This is a site for launching boats from trailers and it is also a portage, which typically means that to continue paddling down the river past this site you will have to portage your boat around a dam or other obstruction. 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:

This site at the south end of Wyoming Pond, along with the site at the north end of Wyoming Pond (at Skunk Hill Road), are the usual take-outs for a paddle down the upper Wood River. For more details on paddling the upper Wood River see the information about the put-ins on the Wood River at Route 165 and at Barberville Dam.

Wyoming Pond is a 26-acre pond created by the Wyoming Dam. The Wood River enters the pond at the north end. This site, at the south end of the pond, has a gravel boat ramp that provides good site for launching hand-carried and trailered boats.

This area is stocked with trout several times during the spring.

Heading down river from here, most paddlers choose to avoid the 1 1/2 miles of river below Wyoming Dam because there are three portages in rapid succession. However, if you do want to head downstream, carry along Route 138/Route 3 for 700 feet to the small bridge. Put in down the steep left bank, or carry another 700 feet down Route 138/Route 3 to the put-in behind the Little League Fields. Take out again above the next dam, carry across the bridge, and launch into the quickwater behind the old Hope Valley Mill. The next dam, a low dam at the gauging station, can be run at high water or portaged on the right. Once past the Route 95 overpass the river becomes more inviting again. Shortly below I-95 there is a put-in along Switch Road that is a good starting point for a paddle down the next section of the Wood River. (This description was adapted in part from the Wood-Pawcatuck River Guide, which is highly recommended for paddling on the Wood-Pawcatuck River system.)

This site provides access to the following water bodies in the Pawcatuck River watershed: Wyoming Pond, Wood River.

Location:

Alternate Site Name: Wyoming Pond (south end)

Town: Richmond

Nearest Town Center: Wyoming, RI

Driving Landmarks: From Interstate 95 north or south take exit 3B for Route 138 west (Hope Valley/Wyoming). Half a mile on route 138 will bring you to the merge with Route 3. Merge onto Route 3 south and then in 200 feet turn right onto Bridge Street after the Stagecoach House Inn. The parking lot for Wyoming Dam is on the right at this corner.

Access & Waters:

Water 'Features' At Site: dam, flatwater/slow moving river, pond

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, portage

ADA Accessible Boat Launch? no

Shoreline: A low stone wall defines most of the shoreline but there's a gravel boat ramp suitable for launching both hand-carried and trailered boats.

Float/Dock: no

Portage Length: 950 feet

Hours of Operation: sunrise to sunset, year round

Parking:

Parking: yes: 12 spaces, no overnight parking

ADA Accessible Parking Spaces? no

Nearby Amenities:

Public Restrooms: None at the site but there are various businesses in the area where it should be possible to find restrooms

Sources for More Information:

AMC River Guide: 4th Edition, page 138

Other Guidebooks: Paddle 23 in "Paddling Connecticut and Rhode Island"

Website: How to order the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association's River Guide

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