Maine / Piscataqua River /

Rice Avenue Town Lot

Rice Avenue Town Lot is a free public kayak and canoe launch on the Piscataqua River near Kittery, Maine.

Piscataqua River at evening
Piscataqua River, the water this launch is on. Piscataqua River at evening Photo: Fredlyfish4 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

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)
Fee
Free
Restrooms
No
Tidal
Yes
Coordinates
43.08540, -70.75400

Directions (Google) Apple Maps

Channel depths in feet from the Army Corps' surveys (New England District; the one nearest this launch is of February 26, 2025). Not for navigation.

Conditions

Tides

Predicted highs and lows at NOAA's Portsmouth station, 0.5 mi from this launch, in local time above MLLW. Predictions, not observations: wind and weather move the real tide. Full predictions at NOAA.

Tide predictions, Mon Nov 2 to Sun Nov 8
Mon Nov 2 High 5:02 am 7.6 ft · Low 10:53 am 1.0 ft · High 5:18 pm 8.3 ft · Low 11:40 pm 0.2 ft
Tue Nov 3 High 6:08 am 7.7 ft · Low 12:04 pm 0.9 ft · High 6:27 pm 8.2 ft
Wed Nov 4 Low 12:45 am 0.3 ft · High 7:11 am 8.0 ft · Low 1:14 pm 0.7 ft · High 7:34 pm 8.1 ft
Thu Nov 5 Low 1:44 am 0.3 ft · High 8:07 am 8.3 ft · Low 2:15 pm 0.3 ft · High 8:33 pm 8.1 ft
Fri Nov 6 Low 2:37 am 0.3 ft · High 8:57 am 8.5 ft · Low 3:09 pm 0.0 ft · High 9:26 pm 8.1 ft
Sat Nov 7 Low 3:24 am 0.3 ft · High 9:43 am 8.7 ft · Low 3:57 pm -0.2 ft · High 10:14 pm 8.1 ft
Sun Nov 8 Low 4:07 am 0.5 ft · High 10:24 am 8.8 ft · Low 4:41 pm -0.3 ft · High 10:59 pm 7.9 ft

Channel survey

The Army Corps surveys the channels it maintains and posts every survey.

  • Portsmouth Harbor and Piscataqua River · 0.1 mi from this launch
    Condition survey of February 26, 2025 by the New England District. Least depth in the channel (35-Foot Badgers Island Reach): 27.4 ft below mean lower low water (MLLW); project depth 35 ft. Survey sheet (PDF)

US Army Corps of Engineers hydrographic surveys, from eHydro. A survey shows the bottom on the day it was made; channels shoal after high water and change with dredging. Not for navigation.

On Piscataqua River

The Piscataqua River is a tidal river about 12 miles long. It forms the boundary between New Hampshire and Maine, running from the point where the Salmon Falls and Cochecho rivers meet to the Atlantic Ocean. The two rivers join at the eastern edge of Dover, New Hampshire, at the northwest corner of Eliot, Maine. The river flows southeast, with Maine on its north and east bank, and empties into the Gulf of Maine east of Portsmouth. Its last 6 miles are known as Portsmouth Harbor, where the tidal current runs around 4 knots, and it is considered one of the swiftest rivers in the United States. Its drainage basin covers about 1,495 square miles, including Great Bay and its five tributaries and the Great Works River. Together with Great Bay, the river forms a large estuary. Kittery and Eliot are on the Maine shore. More about Piscataqua River.

Boating rules on Piscataqua River

  • Headway speed only in Pepperrell Cove (from Red Nun Buoy #4 to the Town Pier at Frisbee Wharf, including the mooring area) and up Chauncey Creek source
  • Headway speed in Spruce Creek, from Hicks Rocks inner channel to 1/4 mile north of Kittery Point Bridge source
  • Headway speed in the Back Channel from Red Nun Buoy #4 around both sides of Badger's Island to its western end source
  • Vessels must run at a reasonable and prudent speed and must not create a wake that could endanger people, vessels or property source
  • Water skiing and windsurfing prohibited in congested mooring areas, anchorages and speed-limited areas in Kittery waters source
  • Jet skis and personal watercraft must follow the same rules as other vessels source
  • No-wake reminder for the Back Channel, Pepperrell Cove mooring field, entry to Spruce Creek, Chauncey Creek, and under bridges on the Piscataqua source

Community

Where people who use Piscataqua River talk about it.

Nearby launches

Sources

Why it is listed as public: listed by Maine Coastal Public Access Sites (Maine Coastal Program). Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.