Though some road noise emanates from numerous four-lane divided highways that ring Middletown, the Cromwell Meadows Wildlife Management Area still represents an extraordinary paddling resource, all the more so because of its metropolitan location. Huge numbers of nesting and migrating waterfowl congregate here, and nowhere else in our exploration of Connecticut have we seen so much wild rice (Zizania aquatica). Expect to see: muskrat, waterfowl, marsh birds, aquatic vegetation, varied shrubs.

USGS Quadrangle:  Middletown