Hi Judy and all else,

I'd wondered about getting out into the river via Reeds Marsh myself--some older aerial photos seemed to show a passage into the other marshy area adjacent to the river which does have an opening into the river itself.  Last fall, I decided to give it a try and launched the canoe at Reeds Marsh.  No luck though--the vegetation was quite thick and while I could see the passage between the marsh sections, there was no way to plow the canoe through the cattails and shrubby vegetation.

So, I loaded the canoe back on the truck and relaunched at the state access just south of Orford village.  I paddled down to the marsh on the other side of the passage/trees from Reeds and found the other end of the of the flowage between the two.  Only 20 or so feet up into it was a beaver dam.

The marshes themselves were quite nice--lots of birds and lots of muskrat houses.

Long story short:  I don't think it's possible to get from Reeds into the river in a canoe or kayak without getting out, getting wet and hauling the boat through the vegetation and over the beaver dam.  Taking this route would be easier earlier in the season before the vegetation gets real thick.  Of course the water is quite a bit colder though. 

Hope this helps.

best,
Peter Allen

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