The Shetucket River is a tributary of the Thames River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed April 1, 2011 in eastern

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

in the United States. It is formed at Willimantic by the junction of the Willimantic and Natchaug rivers. It flows southeast and south. Approximately northeast of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

it receives the Quinebaug River and broadens into a wide

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

which stretches southeast for approximately and joins the Thames estuary on the south side of Norwich. The river flows through a rural section of

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

, despite the historical presence of industry in the surrounding region. Parts of the rivers have been designated by the federal government as the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor. The

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government within the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of ...

describes the river valley as the "last green valley" in the

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

-to- Washington megalopolis. In nighttime

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioiso ...

photos, the valley appears distinctively dark amidst the lights of the surrounding urban and suburban regions.

Crossings

Paddling the River

The entire length of the river, as well as the lower part of the Natchaug River flowing into it, is a popular recreational paddling route. Canoe/Kayak launch sites are located at the following locations: *Lauter Park off Route 195 - Willimantic (on Natchaug River 1 mile above Shetucket River) *Recreation Park on Plains Road - Windham *Baltic Riverside Park on Route 97 - Sprague *Occum Dam canoe portage - Sprague *Lisbon Canoe Launch off Route 169 - Lisbon *Greenville Dam canoe portage - Norwich *Howard Brown Park - Norwich Short, marked portages are required at four hydroelectric dams: Scotland Dam, Occum Dam, Taftville Dam, and Greenville Dam.

References

External links

National Park Service: Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage CorridorLastGreenValley.org
Online Shetucket River maps {{Authority control Rivers of Windham County, Connecticut Rivers of New London County, Connecticut Rivers of Connecticut Connecticut placenames of Native American origin Tributaries of the Thames River (Connecticut)

Crossings

Paddling the River

See also

References

External links