Beautiful Day today, would have been a sin not to get on the water. Fortunately no one in my family needed their hand held. First stop was Luddam’s Ford Park in Hanover. Off Elm St. on the other side of the street from Indian Head Drive.
If you remember the earlier post on the Indian Head River, that river runs into the North River in Pembroke and the dam and park is smack in the middle.
From the wiki entry: The river runs through the Luddams Ford Park, named after a guide, James Luddam, who in 1632 carried Governor Winthrop across the river to get to Weymouth. The Dam:
Indian Head River is very shallow for most of it’s short run, this dam creates a deeper and wider still reach where lily pads and their lovely flowers can grow.
So, the launching point, which is easy to access with gravel down to the waters edge.
The launching spot is upstream of the dam so the water here is still and deep.
I’d recommend this spot for beginners and especially younger children, you can’t go very far upstream before you hit shallow water and rapids, but there’s enough of a paddling area for beginners to have a hours fun. Afterwards there are picnic tables and grass fields to play on. Hiking trails through the park are easy and safe, though short.
If you go upstream, (I’ve only been to the second rapids), there is the ruin of a old factory site. There have been a number of small factories located here in the last three centuries. Including the forge that made anchors for the USS Constitution.
This is the first drag through spot, the next is only about another three hundred yards up-river.
Since it didn’t take very long to cover this ground, I continued on to Duxbury and the west end of the Powder Point Bridge.
Over the bridge is one of the best salt water beaches in the USA. Parking is limited and $15 a day. There are showers, restrooms and food stands. On the west end of the bridge there very limited parking…
this was on a Monday. But no one is collecting parking fees. I’ve never been ticketed in forty years, but to the best of my knowledge the Duxbury Police don’t bother except on weekends in the summer. The stretch of water between the mainland and the sandbar is very shallow and silty, but with no strong current.
Over the bridge on the ocean side the water is cooler, clearer and can have delightful surf.
This is a popular place to put in and many beginners come here to learn to paddle.
Easiest way to get here is to from Route 3 South in Duxbury at the Route 14 exit,
| 1. Take exit 11 for MA-14 toward Duxbury/Pembroke |
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0.2 mi
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2. Turn right onto MA-14 E/Congress St |
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0.2 mi
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3. At the traffic circle, continue straight to stay on MA-14 E/Congress St
Continue to follow MA-14 E
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1.8 mi
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4. Continue onto St George St |
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1.1 mi
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5. Turn left onto Powder Point Ave |
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1.1 mi
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6. Powder Point Ave turns slightly left and becomes Powder Point Bridge |
On the North River 