Search the Community

This thread is to discuss Plan-B options for the few times each year Walden reaches capacity and closes on a Wednesday. My ideal Plan-B: Is very close to Walden for last minute redirects. Has generous easy free parking. Has clean deep water making it rolling and rescue friendly. Is friendly to late arrivals. Bathrooms are highly desirable. Does NOT have invasive plants. August 9th, 2017 Walden closed for the second Wednesday this summer, so I paddled with Dan on the Concord river. It was a very nice 2 hour and 15 minute paddle. A 7 minute (9 to 16 minutes at rush hour) drive from Walden makes it a very good last minute option. The put-in is free with plenty of street parking. However, it does have invasive plants, it was shallow (I scraped bottom at least 5 times), and water quality was suspect making it neither rolling nor rescue friendly. Within a few minutes of launching, paddlers are also out of sight of the boat ramp, making it less than friendly for late arrivals. Driving to the put-in, I discovered the Concord Visitor Center has some public bathrooms a few minutes away. The put-in itself lacks bathrooms, but is sufficiently wooded and private for improvised solutions. Google Maps describes the put-in as 181-299 Lowell Rd, Concord, MA 01742. White Pond is also close. An 8 minute (10 to 16 minutes at rush hour) drive from Walden. However, AMC Boston’s White-Water paddlers have their pond social there on Wednesdays. That means a crowded boat ramp where we should be extra polite, we can drop kayaks but cannot park. We have to park at the school a couple of blocks away which is a walk, but is also free parking. The pond is rolling and rescue friendly. Practice would take place right at the put-in so it is very friendly to late arrivals. We would put-in right next to a PRIVATE members only swim beach. Technically non-members are not supposed to use the beach restrooms, and there is not enough privacy for improvised solutions. Though I have heard of people getting permission from life-guards to use the restrooms. I have also seen the restrooms closed and locked. I do not know the current invasive plant status of White Pond. The AMC Boston group often goes to a local pizza place afterwards, if we are friendly we would probably be welcome to join them. Google Maps describes the put-in as 5B Plainfield Rd, Concord, MA 01742, the school where we would park is Willard Elementary. Some other options were discussed in the weekly July 19th thread after the first Wednesday Walden closed this summer. The Upper Mystic lake in Arlington/Winchester/Medford was interesting until I saw that Google estimates the rush hour drive on Wednesday from Walden to Mystic at 24 to 50 minutes. Unfortunately, the traffic tends to get worse the closer we get to Boston. Does everyone like the idea that if Walden closes on Wednesday we go with Plan-B even if Walden reopens in the afternoon? If we go with that plan and Walden closes before noon, we could probably relax the "Is very close to Walden for last minute redirects" ideal if there is a much more attractive Plan-C option. Anyone have any other Walden alternative suggestions? Any strong preferences among the Plan-B/Plan-C options?