The Shetucket River is a tributary of the

Thames River The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed April 1, 2011 in eastern

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

in the United States. It is formed at Willimantic by the junction of the Willimantic and Natchaug rivers. It flows southeast and south. Approximately northeast of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

it receives the

Quinebaug River The Quinebaug River is a river in south-central Massachusetts and eastern Connecticut, with watershed extending into western Rhode Island. The name "Quinebaug" comes from the southern New England Native American term, spelled variously , , etc ...

and broadens into a wide

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

which stretches southeast for approximately and joins the Thames estuary on the south side of Norwich. The river flows through a rural section of

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

, despite the historical presence of industry in the surrounding region. Parts of the rivers have been designated by the federal government as the

Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor is a federally designated National Heritage Corridor in northeastern Connecticut and portions of Massachusetts. It has a rural character with rolling hills, farmland and classic New England scener ...

. The

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

describes the river valley as the "last green valley" in the

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

-to-

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

megalopolis A megalopolis () or a supercity, also called a megaregion, is a group of metropolitan areas which are perceived as a continuous urban area through common systems of transport, economy, resources, ecology, and so on. They are integrated enoug ...

. In nighttime

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...

photos, the valley appears distinctively dark amidst the lights of the surrounding urban and suburban regions.

Crossings

Paddling the River

The entire length of the river, as well as the lower part of the Natchaug River flowing into it, is a popular recreational paddling route. Canoe/Kayak launch sites are located at the following locations: *Lauter Park off Route 195 - Willimantic (on Natchaug River 1 mile above Shetucket River) *Recreation Park on Plains Road - Windham *Baltic Riverside Park on Route 97 - Sprague *Occum Dam canoe portage - Sprague *Lisbon Canoe Launch off Route 169 - Lisbon *Greenville Dam canoe portage - Norwich *Howard Brown Park - Norwich Short, marked portages are required at four hydroelectric dams: Scotland Dam, Occum Dam, Taftville Dam, and Greenville Dam.

References

External links

National Park Service: Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage CorridorLastGreenValley.org
Online Shetucket River maps {{Authority control Rivers of Windham County, Connecticut Rivers of New London County, Connecticut Rivers of Connecticut Connecticut placenames of Native American origin Tributaries of the Thames River (Connecticut)

Crossings

Paddling the River

See also

References

External links