RICKA Flatwater, BVPC and Wilderness Postings

RICKA Flatwater, BVPC and Wilderness Postings
[ RICKA Flatwater, BVPC and Wilderness Postings ]

Winter Camping at the Burlingame Canoe Campsites- January 3rd

Posted by Erik on 12/5/2025, 6:17 am

Our annual winter camping trip at the Burlingame Canoe Campsites on the Pawcatuck River will be Saturday, January 3rd.

We’ll launch from Bradford Landing in the afternoon, paddle up to the Burlingame Canoe Campsites for the night, and paddle back in the morning after breakfast. Trip is open to all who are prepared for winter camping.

It is too far out to be very reliable, but the long-term forecast is clear with day time temp’s in the 30’s/40’s, and night time temp’s in the 20’s-30’s.

We’ll do group meals. Not everyone needs to bring something, but if you want to we’ll need appetizers for the afternoon, entrees and sides for dinner, desert and breakfast. We’ll coordinate that as we get closer.

You’ll need a chair, mess kit, (plate/cup/bowl/silverware), and your winter camping and personal gear. We’ll figure out group gear as we get closer as well.

Of course everything is subject to change, but if you are interested in joining please contact Erik Eckilson at eckilson@cox.net.

Re: Winter Camping at the Burlingame Canoe Campsites- January 3rd

Posted by Erik on 12/5/2025, 6:20 am, in reply to "Winter Camping at the Burlingame Canoe Campsites- January 3rd"

A few pictures form last year's trip.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/eckilson/albums/72177720322845941/

Re: Winter Camping at the Burlingame Canoe Campsites- January 3rd

Posted by JD Corry on 12/5/2025, 5:41 pm, in reply to "Winter Camping at the Burlingame Canoe Campsites- January 3rd"

I plan to be there.

Re: Winter Camping at the Burlingame Canoe Campsites- January 3rd

Posted by Erik on 12/6/2025, 5:55 am, in reply to "Re: Winter Camping at the Burlingame Canoe Campsites- January 3rd"

It will be great to have you there JD - send me an email at eckilson@cox.net and I'll make sure you get all the details.

Iced out...

Posted by Erik on 1/4/2026, 6:21 am, in reply to "Winter Camping at the Burlingame Canoe Campsites- January 3rd"

How many days with temps in the teens does it take to freeze a river. Based on this weekend’s experience, the answer is three.

For the past couple of years, we have been doing this winter overnight trip at the Burlingame Canoe Campsites. It’s been a lot of fun, and this year we had nine joining in, with one coming from as far away as NY.

In past years, the temperatures have mild (days in the 30’s, nights in the 20’s), but this year we have been having a cold snap (as you know). Average temperatures had been in the 20’s for a couple of weeks, so we know ice could be an issue – I even got a warning email from Earl. We did ask JD to check the river on Wednesday, and he reported that the put in was ice-free. It is tough to see much else from shore.

When we arrived at Bradford Landing on Saturday morning the put in was open, but there was solid ice downstream to the dam. There was an open channel upstream so we loaded our boats and headed out. We didn’t get far. We paddled a couple of hundred yards upstream to find the river frozen solid – good half-inch of ice for as far as you could see. No way we were getting through that.

We paddled back to the put in to try to figure out our options. Was there a different section of the river that wouldn’t be iced-in - nope. Was there a campground or picnic area nearby that wasn’t closed for the season – nope. Unfortunately, we were out of luck. Best we could do was a pictures and lunch at a nearby restaurant. Oh well…

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