Paddling the Carmans River, Brookhaven, NY – Know Before You Go

For a taste of wild river paddling not far from the NYC metro area, the Carman’s River on Long Island is hard to beat.  Paddling the river gives you a sense of what Long Island was like centuries ago before houses lined its waterways. This is thanks largely to the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge which flanks the river on both sides, preserving the tidal wetlands and oak/pine forest along its the river's lower reaches.  The Carmans provides a beautiful paddle and if you’re a sea kayaker you should put it on your list.. 

Photo 1 - lower Carmans River

Photo 2 - Indian Landing on Carmans River, Wertheim Nat'l Wildlife Sanctuary

Know Before You Go:

There are two launch points for the lower portion of the river.  (The upper reaches above Route 27 can also be paddled I’m told, but the river gets shallow and there are several dams that require portaging. I’ve only paddled the lower Carmans.)  The first and main launch point is at the site of Carmans River Canoe and Kayak, a kayak rental shop located at 2979 Montauk Highway in Brookhaven.  The Town of Brookhaven owns the property and buildings where the business runs. This site has a very nice launch area (Photo 3), public bathrooms, and parking.  In summer, non-residents can pay a modest fee to park and launch their own canoes/kayaks/paddle boards.    (NOTE: In February 2024 the owner of the shop, Brad DeSantis, announced he’s closing his business after 30 years, unfortunately.  Hopefully the Town will find a new person to continue a paddling business there. The launch site and parking remain accessible year-round).

Photo 3 - Carmans River Canoe & Kayak launch

The second launch point to the lower river is at a Town pocket-park at the end of Beaver Dam Road.  Access to the water (or lack thereof) is every paddler's pet-peeve, so it’s fantastic that the Town established and improved this area for the public.  Parking is free along the side of the road but probably gets busy during the summer (I’ve only paddled there in April).  If I could make one suggestion to the Town it would be to fix the plastic floating dock to make it easier and safer to get canoes/kayaks in and out of the water. The dock has a little plastic ramp that is pretty useless for landing/launching because it’s too short, steep and slippery.  What’s worse, it blocks the only portion of this tiny dock that would allow a paddler to get close enough to lift themselves up onto it – see Photo 4.  This mini-ramp should be removed.  A few fishing kayakers I encountered at this dock felt the same way, the mini-ramp makes using the dock extremely difficult, near impossible.   The nearby boat marina is private so no chance of using their ramp unfortunately.

Photo 4 - Beaver Dam Rd launch, mini-ramp attached to floating dock

Between the mouth of the river in Bellport Bay and the upriver take-out at Carmans River Canoe and Kayak (2979 Montauk Highway), there are three bridges that you’ll paddle under. One of these is a very low bridge for an interior drive of the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge. At spring high tide (new and full moons) when I was there the space to paddle under this bridge is extremely limited – you’ll have to press your head flat against the front deck of your kayak and pray you'll get under without slamming your head. (See Photo 5). A canoeist I saw said he had to lie flat on his back in the bottom of his canoe and even then barely made it. Raising this bridge a few feet to allow unfettered access for paddlers at all tide heights is probably not a priority for the National Wildlife Refuge.  Perhaps the Refuge could provide some steps to haul boats over the road?  Consider what the tides are doing on the day you plan to paddle the Carmans River if you want to paddle under this bridge. If you launch and land from the lower put-in at Beaver Dam Road you can avoid it altogether. 

Photo 5 - low bridge Wertheim interior roadway

Wind – as with all rivers, unless you have two cars to make a one-way trip, you’ll have to paddle back to your car. For less experienced paddlers, check the weather report to make sure you can paddle back through the wind which can have more of an affect on you than tidal current at this river.