Massachusetts / Nashua River /

Nashua River Carry-in Access near Pepperell

This is a public kayak and canoe launch on the Nashua River near Pepperell, Massachusetts, run by MassWildlife.

Aerial view of the gravel lot and the picnic lawn beside the Nashua River, August 2023
Aerial view of the gravel lot and the picnic lawn beside the Nashua River, August 2023 Photo: USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP · Public domain · via USGS The National Map
Past algal blooms

Harmful algal blooms reported on Nashua River 2.2 km 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
42.66943, -71.57411

Directions (Google) Apple Maps

This launch has no official name in our sources; the name above describes where it is.

Conditions

Water level

Latest reading loads here; without it, see the USGS page below.

USGS gauge NASHUA RIVER AT EAST PEPPERELL, MA, 0.1 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.

Nearby launches

Sources

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.