A tumultuous, whitewater torrent tumbled over a jumble of boulders last week, as my son Tom and I kayaked upstream into a gorge surrounded by towering cliffs, dogwoods decorated with white blossoms, and verdant maple foliage.

“Hard to believe we’re less than a mile from downtown Norwich,” Tom said.

We were paddling on the Yantic River, heading north toward one of the city’s most distinctive landmarks, Uncas Leap, also known as Indian Leap and Yantic Falls. Over the years, I have viewed the 40-foot waterfall many times from an overhead bridge, but never from water-level.

“Very impressive,” I exclaimed.

For kayakers more inclined to paddle on secluded lakes and wilderness rivers, this foray into urban waters featured stark contrasts, surprising serenity, and even a touch of adventure.

We launched from busy Harold T. Brown Memorial Park in downtown, where anglers cast fishing lines, traffic rolled by on Chelsea Harbor Drive, teenagers skateboarded nearby at a parking garage, and customers lined up for tacos at the Mi Encanto food truck.

The boat ramp is situated at the mouth of the Yantic River, where it empties into the Thames River. We paddled on the east side of Hollyhock Island, past American Wharf, Thayer’s Marine and the city wastewater treatment plant on our left, and beneath the West Main Street and West Side Boulevard bridges.

Just beyond the northern tip of the island, families gathered around picnic tables at the Falls Mills Condominiums, their conversations and laughter drowned out by the rumbling waterfall.

Legend has it that during the 1643 Battle of Great Plains between warring tribes, the Mohegan Sachem Uncas leaped over the falls and slew Miantonomo, the Narragansett Sachem. Today, the site is a popular historic, natural attraction, where the city is building a new heritage park off Yantic Street.

After paddling up to the falls, Tom and I kayaked back down the Yantic River, this time on the west side of the island. In a mile, we passed the park’s launch site, and then steered up the Shetucket River against an ebb tide, northeast headwind, and increasingly powerful downriver current.

“Head for the eddies,” Tom advised, directing us toward rocks and bends in the river that provided some relief.

After passing beneath the Water Street, Viaduct Road, and Main Street bridges, as well as a railroad bridge, we approached the charred ruins of the former Capehart Mill in the Greeneville section of Norwich. In the 19th century, this massive structure had been the hub of a thriving textile industry. Today, it is a blighted vestige that officials have struggled to clean up in hopes of creating a riverfront park. The partially collapsed building also has been the target of arsonists in recent years, complicating restoration efforts.

This is a gritty section of the Shetucket River, which is far more pristine when it originates 20.4 miles north in Willimantic, near the junction of the Willimantic and Natchaug Rivers. These northern sections offer some of the finest salmon fishing in New England.

Tom and I felt like salmon while struggling to proceed upriver through shallow rapids just beyond the Eight Street bridge. Just ahead, water thundered over the Greeneville Dam.

“This is far enough for me,” I said, angling toward the left bank. I clung to an overhanging branch to prevent being pulled downriver.

Tom decided to get closer to the dam, and paddled furiously from eddy to eddy for 15 minutes to weave his way upriver. After he reached the curtain of tumbling water, it took him only a couple minutes to rocket back downriver in the churning current. I let go of the branch to join him, and instantly got pulled into the current.

“A lot easier going in this direction,” I said. In less than half an hour, we were back at the park.

The route we followed is part of the Norwich Harbor Water Trail, designed to attract more canoeists and kayakers to the Thames, Yantic and Shetucket rivers. I certainly support this worthy mission. More paddlers – not just in the wilderness, but in urban centers – recognize the environmental and recreational value of all watercourses, and the need to continue cleaning up and protecting them.

For more information about the water trail, visit https://www.norwichct.org/DocumentCenter/View/4527/2018-09-25-HMC-Norwich-Waterfront-Vision-Presentation.