Another Meredith kayak launch spot is the Cattle Landing town dock and parking lot. Kayaks can access the lake for free, no charge, for either parking or for launching.
July 4 and Labor Day crowding usually fills the parking lot to overflowing onto nearby roads but at other times a parking spot can almost always be found on the dirt parking lot.
Located way down Meredith Neck: Turn off Route 25 onto Pleasant St, opposite the BarnZ movie cinema and Clough waterfront park, and proceed about seven miles down Pleasant St and Meredith Neck Rd to Cattle Landing Rd. It's all one windy drive with three different road names that just keeps going. About one mile beyond the large Shep Brown marina sign, the Cattle Landing town dock & parking accesses the lake close to the south end of Bear Island.
The Town of Meredith recently replaced the wood fence and included a kayak entry so no more lugging the kayak over or around the wood fence to get to the water.
While the old fence had a red sign, saying Cattle Landing, the new fence does not, so there is no Cattle Landing sign at this time. Located at the corner of Cattle Landing Rd and Patricia Rd, look for cars parked in a dirt parking lot on the right, a pay phone attached to a telephone utility building, and the long, concrete, Cattle Landing town dock on the left.
Best bet: rent a kayak from Wild Meadow Kayak in Center Harbor and put in at the Cattle Landing dock where you can make a day of paddling from Bear Isl to Mark Isl to Mink Isl to Timber Isl to Governor's Isl to Eagle Isl to Stondam Isl conservation area to Pine Tree Point, and back to Cattle Landing in one big circle. In a motorboat, this circle trip could take about 25 minute, and in a kayak....it's hard to say.....maybe five hours?