Paddling Maps

Nashua River:

Bill Ashe Visitor Facility in the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge to Route 2 Bridges (Devens, MA)

Trip Description

Departing from the Bill Ashe launch, head upstream away from the Hospital Road bridge. Almost immediately across the river from the launch, the Catacunemaug Brook enters the Nashua River.  It can be interesting to paddle up into the mouth of the Brook to look for wildlife, but you won’t be able to go too far due to downed trees and beaver dams.

Paddling upstream, you’ll experience a pleasant paddle with undeveloped shoreline on both sides for the first half of a mile.  The eastern bank is the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge.  

About a half of a mile upstream on the east bank (to your left going upstream), you’ll see an old boathouse chimney ruins. To your right for most of the next mile is the Massachusetts Correctional Institution MCI-Shirley property. OFF LIMITS; do NOT land.

Around a mile and a half upstream, you’ll approach the Route 2 bridge with its cloverleaf exit overpasses.  There are small oxbow areas that can be explored just before and just after the first bridge overpass.  The Route 2 bridge marks the turn around point for this trip. 

Should you desire to paddle further upstream beyond the Route 2 bridges, the river conditions remain similar for another two miles. You will continue to have the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge on your left. On the west bank (to your right paddling upstream) of the river, will be the Fort Devens South Post which is an active military facility. You may hear training exercises involving ammunitions firing.  OFF LIMITS; do NOT land.

Head back downstream to the Bill Ashe launch, where you’ll see the floating dock on your right. On your return trip, you will be paddling downstream with the river flow, making for easier paddling. 

BE AWARE:  If you choose to paddle downstream from the Bill Ashe launch, rather than upstream as recommended in this paddle, you’ll pass under the Hospital Road bridge, and about a mile downstream you will encounter the Ayer Ice House Dam. HAZARD: DANGER! Do NOT enter the hydropower canal on river right upstream of the dam. Orange buoys are strung across the entrance. Do NOT attempt to go over the dam. Dam is immediately after West Main street bridge. Return upstream to the Bill Ashe Boat Launch.

What You Might See

This section of the Nashua River feels delightfully remote. The surrounding lands are undeveloped with no houses, businesses, or other infrastructure in sight until you reach the Route 2 bridges.  The eastern bank belongs to the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge (ONWR), making it a great place for wildlife sightings.  The western bank in this stretch is owned by the US military and Mass Correctional Institution- MCI-Shirley. The west bank is off limits, do not land.  This ownership has meant that the west bank is also undeveloped within view of the river offering paddlers an opportunity for tranquil exploration.

The only structure visible during this paddle is the ruin of a boathouse that features a large stone fireplace and chimney. It comes into view on the east bank about one half mile upstream from the boat launch.

There are beaver and muskrat living in the river and adjoining wetlands and coves.  Watch for signs of activity including branches with chewed ends that may be part of a lodge or food cache. You may also see downed trees in the water that are missing their bark where beaver have been feeding. If you spend time sitting quietly in one of the many small coves or oxbows, you may catch a glimpse of these animals as they move about.

There are numerous places along this stretch where you can paddle into a small cove, backwater, or oxbow where you’ll see a variety of wetland plants, turtles, and birds. In summer and early fall, you can also see a variety of dragonflies and damselflies. These insects mate and lay their eggs at the river’s edge.  Their young spend the beginning of life as nymphs in the water.  

The ONWR is on a migratory pathway for birds, particularly waterfowl, and seasonally you may be able to see a variety of migrating ducks, egrets, and green herons. In spring and fall,  songbirds are also passing through the area, including Eastern towhees, Baltimore orioles, and scarlet tanagers.

This is an interesting section to paddle at various times of the year to observe the seasonal changes.

If you have the time, stop in at the Bill Ashe Visitor Facility just to the east of the launch on Hospital Road. The facility has a nice outdoor educational display about the river and surrounding lands.