One crisp, clear morning last week, I paddled my kayak to the middle of Green Falls Pond in Voluntown, gazed at maples just now turning crimson, and savored a reward that would have been unlikely here a few weeks earlier: blissful solitude.

Except for leaves rustling in a gentle breeze, and the shrill cry of a red-tailed hawk circling overhead, there was complete silence — no car or boat engines, no barking dogs, not even the whir of a fishing reel.

With the long, hot summer finally having released its grip, schools back in session, and nearby campground and swimming area closed for the season, crowds have abandoned Green Falls’ popular areas. For those who enjoy seclusion, there are few public waterways in the region more appealingly isolated, accessible only via circuitous hiking trail or long, dirt road.

My short visit was about as far removed, literally and figuratively, from the excursion I wrote about last week — a 30-mile paddle around Manhattan.

Green Falls Pond — also known as Green Fall Pond — lies within Pachaug State Forest, Connecticut’s largest state forest that spreads out over 26,477 acres in Voluntown, Sterling, Plainfield, Griswold, North Stonington and Preston.

There are no houses on this manmade pond, created in the 1930s when the Civilian Conservation Corp dammed a section of the eight-mile-long Green Falls River.

Don’t plan on an aerobic workout — you can paddle the entire shoreline in less than an hour, without breaking a sweat. Rather, Green Falls Pond better serves as a haven for quiet reflection — a place to drift past rocky islands, slip along a shoreline lined with laurel, hemlocks, pines, birch and maples, and to poke into hidden coves.

Visitors also can double their pleasure. After paddling around the pond, they can pull ashore and spend another hour or so hiking a perimeter path. Those feeling more energetic can take a detour near the pond’s south end at the dam, and follow a ravine trail, out and back, along the Green Falls River to Sand Hill Road.

Among the many rewards of living in southeastern Connecticut is an abundance of parks, forests, nature preserves, ponds, streams, rivers and estuaries, along with Long Island and Fishers Island sounds.

Also last week, I joined the Tuesday Night Paddlers for their last official kayak trip of the season, launching from Esker Point Beach in Noank. A blustery wind of about 20 mph kicked up whitecaps and rolling seas on the sound, so with the sun setting and a Hunter’s Moon rising, our small group decided to stay in Palmer Cove and the entrance of the Mystic River.

This time of year, kayaking offshore requires extensive preparations, cold-weather gear, and a dash of derring-do, which is why many paddlers steer for hidden ponds and quiet rivers when the temperature drops and winds pick up.

A few days before my solo paddle on Green Falls Pond, I joined another group of kayakers taking advantage of a glorious fall afternoon to paddle one of the most picturesque stretches of the Pawcatuck River.

We put in at a newly opened boat launch just south of the Potter Mill Dam in Westerly and swept along with a mostly gentle current nearly six miles to the Westerly Boat Ramp on Main Street, just south of the Route 1 bridge between Connecticut and Rhode Island.

“This is amazing! Beautiful!” exclaimed Stonington First Selectwoman Danielle Chesebrough, who was kayaking for the first time on this section of river. She was joined by fellow Selectwoman Deborah Downie; Maggie Jones, director emeritus of the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in Mystic; Rhode Island residents Peter Ogle, Justin Taylor and Rick Sanford; and Tom Sanford of Stonington, who organized the outing.

Tom also had put together a 38-mile, multi-day paddle of the Pawcatuck River from its source at Worden Pond in South Kingston, R.I. to its mouth at Stonington’s Barn Island in Little Narragansett Bay, which I wrote about last year. 

My recent return to the Pawcatuck reminded me of how much I enjoyed the river’s serpentine serenity — winding, narrow stretches closed in by dogwoods, wildflowers, grapevines and other lush foliage.

A few short whitewater passages also quickened our pulses and contributed to a sense of adventure.

When we passed through this part of the river last year, a construction crew was busy replacing a flood-damaged span at Boombridge Road between North Stonington and Westerly. On our return a couple weeks ago, I was pleased to see a familiar sight near the new bridge: cows from the Beriah Lewis Farm wading in the river.

A nearby flock of Canada geese inexplicably began honking and flapping, which provoked a minor bovine stampede. We spectators were amused but maintained a cautious distance; getting trampled by cows is not something you expect while kayaking.

Paddlers can take advantage of a newly opened Pawcatuck River Canoe and Kayak Trail that designates public launch sites on a roughly 10-mile section of the waterway. Copies of a brochure, which includes a map of the trail, are available at Wheeler Library in North Stonington, North Stonington Town Hall, Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly and the Mystic Adventure Shop in Mystic.

The boat ramp for Voluntown’s Green Falls Pond is located on Green Falls Pond Road, a narrow, bumpy, gravel road that loops in two places off Route 138.

I plan to write about other quiet paddling destinations from time to time; as well as to continue featuring hiking trails and nature preserves in and around the region.

If you have suggestions, email me at s.fagin@theday.com.