Boating, Fishing, and Travel Information for North River, MA

There are two marinas at the first highway bridge. The one on the north bank just east of the bridge is principally for outboards; a pump-out facility, a small-craft launching ramp, and a 20-ton crane are at the facility. The marina on the south bank just west of the bridge has gasoline, a pump-out facility, and water available at a float which had 3 feet of water reported alongside and a paved small-craft launching ramp. Outboard boat rental and bait are available.
About 1.5 miles above the first highway bridge, at Kings Landing, is a boatyard. Boats up to 40 feet in length are hauled out on skids for hull and engine repairs or open winter storage.
The river has a posted speed limit of 5 miles per hour.
The marina boatyard on the Herring River has a 25-ton mobile hoist that can haul out craft up to 60 feet in length for hull and engine repairs, or dry covered or open winter storage. Gasoline, diesel fuel, electricity, water, and a pump-out facility are available at the floats, which have a reported 3 to 6 feet alongside. Ice, provisions, and marine supplies can be obtained at the marina
Navigation:
Click the “Map View” button above to see a chart of this harbor.
New Inlet, on the north side of Fourth Cliff and 2 miles southward of Scituate Harbor, is the approach to North River and South River.
The inlet had a reported depth of about 10 feet over the bar in 1979. It is marked by a fairway bell buoy off the entrance and by several channel buoys, but the channel is subject to change and is never entered except by small craft with local knowledge. Strangers should not attempt to cross the bar on the ebb with an easterly wind or in heavy seas as waves break across the bar.
The river has been partly cleared of boulders to Hanover, 10 miles above the entrance. The depth to this point is about 2 feet. Local knowledge is advisable to navigate the river. Navigation at spring tides in excess of 9 feet above mean low water is difficult because of flooding of large areas of marshland on either side of the river. The channel to the State Route 3A bridge is partially marked by privately maintained stakes in the summer.
State Route 3A highway bridge crossing the river about 1.65 miles above the mouth has a 32-foot fixed span with a clearance of 12 feet. In 2002, an obstruction (submerged piling) was reported in North River directly under State Highway Route 3A bridge; the piling is reported visible at low tides.
The Herring River, a tributary of North River from the north, has private buoys that are frequently shifted with changing conditions. In 1979, it was reported that with local knowledge about 4 feet could be carried to the wharf and to a marina in a basin about 0.4 mile above the wharf.