Mystic River Kayak Tour

Yesterday (Saturday, July 25, 2026), I participated in a kayak tour of the Mystic River organized by the Mystic River Watershed Association (MRWA).

We congregated at the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse on the Mystic River shore in Somerville, Massachusetts. MRWA volunteers provided background information about the boathouse and improvements being made to the park and adjacent bicycle lanes in the Ten Hills neighborhood of Somerville.

We paddled out onto the river in kayaks provided by Paddle Boston. We headed generally downstream towards Boston Harbor, learning about the herring runs, environmental remediation of the river, the Malden River, the Encore Boston Harbor Hotel & Casino and harborwalk on the north shore of the Mystic River, removal of invasive plants from the river, and the Amelia Earhart Dam. We passed through the locks of the dam and continued down to the Alford St. Bridge, where we reversed direction. We had a convenient tailwind that pushed us up the river to the boathouse.

Kayaks on the Mystic River

In previous years I bought a summer pass with Paddle Boston, using their Kendall Square location on the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but I let my pass lapse this year because I had no one to go kayaking with. It was a treat to paddle with other members of the MRWA.