Massachusetts / Nashua River /
Nashua River Carry-in Access near Ayer
This is a public kayak and canoe launch on the Nashua River near Ayer, Massachusetts, run by MassWildlife.
Harmful algal blooms reported on Nashua River 640 m from this launch (state reports compiled by U.S. EPA): 2020.
state reports compiled by U.S. EPA · checked October 20, 2026
Status not reported No closure has been posted for this launch, but its agency does not publish open or closed status. Check with the managing agency before you tow.
At the launch
- Type
- Carry-in (canoe and kayak)
- Ramp surface
- Dirt
- Managed by
- MassWildlife
- Coordinates
- 42.55662, -71.61146
Directions (Google) Apple Maps
This launch has no official name in our sources; the name above describes where it is.
Conditions
- Weather forecast for this launch · National Weather Service
- Water level, flow at the NORTH NASHUA RIVER NEAR LEOMINSTER, MA gauge · USGS, 7.0 mi away on Nashua River
Water level
Latest reading loads here; without it, see the USGS page below.
USGS gauge NORTH NASHUA RIVER NEAR LEOMINSTER, MA, 7.0 mi from this launch on Nashua River: water level, flow, a reading every 15 minutes. Readings and history at USGS.
On Nashua River
The Nashua River is a 37.5-mile tributary of the Merrimack River. It begins in Lancaster, Massachusetts, where the North Nashua and South Nashua rivers meet. From there it flows generally north-northeast through Harvard, Groton, Dunstable and Pepperell and joins the Merrimack at Nashua, New Hampshire. The South Nashua is impounded by the Wachusett Dam at Clinton. Other tributaries include the Still River and, from the northwest, the Squannacook and Nissitissit rivers. During the 18th and 19th centuries, paper mills and dyes near Fitchburg polluted the river badly. A restoration campaign led by Marion Stoddart began in the mid-1960s, and since then eight treatment plants have been built or upgraded along the river. Public Law 116-9 designated 27 miles of the river as a National Wild and Scenic River in 2019. More about Nashua River.
Boating rules on Nashua River
- Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge launches are for non-motorized boats such as canoes and kayaks source
Community
Where people who use Nashua River talk about it.
- Nashua River Watershed Association Association
- Nashua Rivers Wild & Scenic Stewardship Council Association
- Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge - U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Agency
- Petapawag Canoe Launch - Town of Groton Agency
- Official Nashua River Watershed Association (Facebook page) Facebook
- Search Reddit: r/massachusetts Reddit
- Search all of Reddit for Nashua River, Massachusetts Reddit
Nearby launches
- Robbins Pond Carry-in Access near Harvard · 1.2 mi · Robbins Pond
- Nashua River Carry-in Access near Shirley · 1.5 mi · Nashua River
- Bill Ashe Canoe/Kayak Launch · 1.6 mi · Nashua River Reservoir
- Upper Flannagan Pond Carry-in Access · 2.1 mi · Upper Flannagan Pond
- Mirror Lake Boat Launch · 2.2 mi · Mirror Lake
- Sandy Pond Carry-in Access · 2.7 mi · Sandy Pond
Sources
- MassWildlife GoFishMA! freshwater access points record GFACC504 · Public data (MassWildlife, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife), no license stated
Why it is listed as public: listed by MassWildlife GoFishMA! freshwater access points. Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.