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For the water-oriented, paddling and swimming in the Berkshires and Northwest Connecticut are special ways to explore, relax and keep fit. Public access lakes, waterfalls and and kid-friendly secret streams can be found everywhere.

paddle trip housatonic river

Some are well-known, and for others, you may want to ask around. So if kayaking, canoeing, swimming or stand-up paddleboarding are your happy space, we have the place for you.

Public access lakes dot the region, from Northwest Connecticut right up into Central Berkshire County and beyond, Places like Twin Lakes, Stockbridge Bowl, Richmond Pond, Lake Mansfield, Prospect Lake, Lake Buel, Umpacheenee Falls in New Marlborough, Lake Garfield and Laurel Lake in Lee/Lenox are prime destinations for swimming or boating or wading about.

From Pittsfield, MA to Kent, CT, the Housatonic River offers miles of kayak or canoeing, on your own or with a paddling and wildlife guide. Your river trip – or several – will carry you past riverfront walks, charming towns, forested hillsides and marshy destinations for unique bird wildlife. You can float along meandering flat water, or take on the heady rush of world class rapids.

Interested in Seeking a more comprehensive guide to paddling, history and wildlife along  the Housatonic River?  Download a copy of the Housatonic River Paddling Guide:

Want more information abut the Housatonic River?
The Housatonic Valley Association
P.O. Box 28, 150 Kent Road
Cornwall Bridge, CT 06754
860-672-6678
Email: conn@hvatoday.org

HVA–Housatonic Valley Assoc.  Berkshire Office
Email: mass@hvatoday.org
14 Main Street, PO Box 496
Stockbridge, MA 01262
413-298-7024
adixon@hvatoday.org

 

Paddling and Swimming Map