If you are about to take one adventure on the Mattabesset, a seven mile trip - about three hours - from point 5 to point 10 is recommended. 

A Trip Down The Mattabesset

Point 1

A canoe trip on the Mattabesset may begin near the Kensington Post Office as the stream above this location is quite small and obstructed by dams. The stream is still small and fallen trees often obstruct passage. Just before passing under Lower Lane†, Belcher Brook enters on the right and the flow doubles.

Point 2

A better access point is at the small park at Farmington Avenue and Mill Street/Rte. 372. Proceeding down the river, the Berlin Dog Pound is soon on the left, followed by the culverts under Route 9. Thereafter, the meandering river is often obstructed with fallen trees, sometimes requiring portages on muddy ground. This is no pleasure cruise, but a worthy challenge for the adventurous. While the thick undergrowth provides for much wildlife, including beaver, the undergrowth also captures litter and this area is regularly targeted for Mattabesset River Watershed Association [MRWA] clean-ups. Willow Brook enters on your left. The Berlin landfill is on the left, with its impressive collection of old tires, followed by Webster Brook. Your canoe then passes under the Berlin Turnpike/Rte. 15†, Worthington Ridge†, and a large concrete pipe which carries sewage to the Mattabesset District treatment plant in Cromwell.

Point 3

The next good launch point is from a grassy corridor to the river off of Route 160. Here the flow is good and generally unobstructed, except for an occasional strainer to challenge the canoeist. In 10 minutes you pass under Wethersfield Road†. Soon a rushing sound indicates that there is whitewater ahead! It's a small rapid, but the best you'll find on the river - and only in high water. Good flow continues through the woods along Beckley Mill Road, and evidence of the old mill can be seen.

Point 4

The river may be entered along Beckley Mill Road. Do not proceed beyond this point if you do not want to portage around a dam. A brisk flow continues through the woods, and a scenic view of a farm and green hillside is before you. The farmer's low bridge requires caution, especially when high water does not allow sufficient clearance to pass underneath. At this point, Rocky Hill is on your left and the water slows due to the dam almost a mile ahead. Spruce Brook enters into the marsh on the right. Songbirds and waterfowl are common, bass and carp may be seen in the water, and a muskrat may swim by. After passing under the Route 9 bridges, the StanChem chemical company occupies the right bank and Cromwell is on your left. CAUTION - you are approaching the StanChem dam which is about five feet high and cannot be run. Portage on the left. The carry is about 50 yards. StanChem maintains the dam as a water supply for its fire system. Just after the portage you pass under the Pasco Hill Road/Berlin Street bridge†. The water quickens and gives a pleasant ride; there is much evidence of beaver activity.

Point 5

The access point at the cul-de-sac of Chestnut Lane provides the best access to the lower river during periods of medium or low water. Continuing through wooded land, you soon pass under Route 372, where a USGS flow gage is located. A level of 1.5' on the gage on the left side of the bridge indicates that the river level is high.

Point 6

Soon the Kirby Road access point is reached, and the river flows briskly, with Middletown's Sawmill Brook entering on your right. You pass under Interstate 91 and an old railroad bridge. Coles Brook enters from your left through three culverts. After the Route 217 bridge you pass a building built entirely on columns in the river's flood plain, a very undesirable concept. The water now slows as the tidal zone is entered. Willow Brook enters from your left. Soon the River Grace Plaza appears close to the river on the left - where a doughnut break at the Whole Donut† is a river tradition. In one-half mile you pass under Route 3.

Point 7

A trip into the tidal marsh part of the river is best begun by the Dunkin Doughnuts, just downstream of Route 3. There is no convenient downriver takeout point within four miles.  The incoming tide at the mouth of the Mattabesset lags the tide at Saybrook Jetty, near the mouth of the Connecticut River - listed on tide charts - by two hours and 45 minutes. The incoming tide then progresses up the Mattabesset, peaking at the Saw Mill Pub in about 45 minutes. Depending upon river flow and the tide condition, the river may flow upstream or downstream. You may wish to coordinate your trip with the tidal flow, although the tide is actually a minor factor.  

The tidal marsh, called Boggy Meadow or Cromwell Meadows, is a fascinating place. This is one of few remaining fresh water tidal marshes available to us and has been listed as one of the Nature Conservancy's "Last Great Places." Bird life is plentiful. Look for great blue and green herons. Raptors, including osprey, can be seen. Explore the side channels extending from the main waterway. The wooded shores, generally inaccessible to people except by the river, are home to deer and other animals. Fish and turtles, including large snappers, are in the water. During the spring thaw when the Connecticut River is high, this area becomes completely flooded and the main river channel is marked only by trees lining its banks. This is a quiet setting, except when disturbed by powerboats coming from the Connecticut River. The osprey nesting platforms were erected and are maintained by the MRWA.

Soon after the broad waters narrow and a river setting resumes, the Coginchaug River enters on the right. You may wish to explore the Coginchaug from this point. Continuing right along the Mattabesset, the Middletown landfill is the high grassy mound on your right. Soon you enter the mighty Connecticut River, but your entry is into a quiet channel created by Wilcox Island; the main channel is on the other side of the Island. Turn left to Cromwell (take out at 9), right to Middletown (take out at 10).

Entry From The Coginchaug River

Point 8

The Mattabesset may also be approached via the Coginchaug. A good launch point is at the Veteran's Memorial Park, where the Coginchaug is close to the road in the park. Due to the winding of the waterways, a trip to Harbor Park (10) provides about four miles of canoeing with only a mile to return to Veteran's Park - providing a chance to simplify the vehicle logistics if one returns on foot.

A Trip Up The Mattabesset

Points 9 & 10

The Mattabesset can be canoed by access from the Connecticut River  as well. Access is convenient from Cromwell's River Road or from Middletown's Harbor Park. From either location, about 20 minutes of steady paddling will bring you to the mouth of the Mattabesset, where you pass under the Route 9 bridge. Except in times of high water, the Connecticut River is easy to canoe. This is actually the easiest way to access the tidal marsh, and is commonly the approach used by fishermen. Determined paddlers may go to Saw Mill Pub (7). 

Information Taken From The Mattabasset Watershed Website

Site History:

In early Dutch maps of the American Colonies from the early 17th Century, the term Mattabeseck is applied to an area of land just to the north of New Haven, Connecticut between the Housatonic and Connecticut Rivers. This land was eventually absorbed by the English Colony of Connecticut.

Although the Dutch used the term broadly, specifically speaking, Mattabeseck is a place name for the location known today as Middletown, Connecticut. Linguistically, Mattabeseck is a regional variant of the same word as Mattapoisett, and means 'land between waters' and was used in both instances to indicate a place of portage. In this instance, the portage refers to the trail connecting the Quinnipiac River in Meriden to the Mattabeseck River in Middletown, and which subsequently links to the Connecticut River. In other words, travelling south on the Connecticut, at Middletown the river turns to the Southeast toward the mouth of the Connecticut, but, by taking the Mattabeseck River and then portaging, (roughly along the route of today's Route 66), one can connect to the Quinnipiac River and reach Long Island Sound at New Haven Harbor.

Further south, the River flows from an upland meadow in Durham, where it was called the Coginchaug, or 'winding meadow'.

Since it was the old western boundary of the incorporated City of Middletown, it was also called the West River, and also, for no known reasons, it was given other names, including the Sebethe River and the Arrawanna River. Presumably the word Mattabeseck was never considered properly euphonious, and various local individuals tried to improve on the name poetically.