Trailheads
 Experience the Trail
A trailhead is the point at which a path, traditionally one intended primarily for walking and/or horseback riding, starts. Today, trailheads often contain rest rooms, sign posts and distribution centers for informational brochures about the trail and its features, and parking areas for vehicles and trailers.
Official trailheads for the Capt. John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail have yet to be established, as the National Park Service is still in the early planning stages for the newly established trail. However, there are many existing water trails throughout Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania that can get you started on your adventure. We've also included some links for those who would like to vicariously experience the trail through others expeditions - or who would like to share their own.
Maryland
Information for all three of the following trails can be found at the
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources website
- Point Lookout Water Trail
- Potomac River Water Trail
- Corker's Creek - Blackwater Canoe Trail
Statewide Land and Water Trails Map - This full color, glossy, poster-style map show the existing, potential and planned land and water trails in Maryland. To get your free copy, contact the Greenways and Water Trails Program at (410) 260-8780 or by e-mailing a map request to lgutierrez@dnr.state.md.us.
Guide to Maryland Boat Ramps and Piers - This is a full-color, fold-out map which shows existing ramps and piers across Maryland. To get your free copy contact the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' Fisheries Service at 1-800-688-FINS or (410) 260-8265. Most of the information found on the map can also be viewed or downloaded by visiting the Online Boating Access Guide at http://mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/fish/state2.html.
Chesapeake Bay Public Access Guide - Produced through the Chesapeake Bay Program, this full-color, fold-out map details access points to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries for the entire watershed (Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia). To get your free copy, contact the Greenways and Water Trails Program at (410) 260-8780 or by e-mailing a map request to lgutierrez@dnr.state.md.us.
Grand Tour of St. Leonard's Creek - While John Smith didn't venture up St. Leonard's Creek off the Patuxent River, he surely met Native Americans from the area that is now Jefferson Patterson Park, located at the creek's mouth on the north shore. Kayaker Bob Jones is creating an online video tour of St. Leonard's Creek. Still a work in progress, his Grand Tour website includes videos of six legs of the creek plus videos of 12 side paddles.
Captain John Smith Trail Loops - This new website provides detailed itineraries for following in Smith's footsteps, along with cultural and historical information. The first itinerary available is Smith's Northern Bay Loop. This first loop is best explored by powerboat, but trip itineraries for both small boat cruisers and paddlers are forthcoming.
Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network - The collection of water trails within the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network offers a wide variety of paddling opportunities for boaters, canoeists, and kayakers of all skill levels. For information visit http://www.baygateways.net/watertrails.cfm.
Additional information on other Maryland water trails, including trails along the Potomac and Patuxent rivers can be found at http://www.dnr.state.md.us/greenways/trailsbyregion.html.
The Monocacy River Trail is currently under development. For more information, visit http://www.communitycommons.org/projects.htm.
Virginia
Virginia is for Lovers Web Site - Find information about state parks, marinas, canoeing and kayaking, and motorboating in Virginia at http://www.virginia.org/site/content.asp?MGrp=1&MCat=14&Rgn=12000.
Pennsylvania
More
Interested in developing a water trail?
Check the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network for information about planning, building, and managing a water trail.
Paddle the Chesapeake
"Look up, look down, from mud to heaven, vast yet intimate. It's the essence of the Chesapeake Bay." So writes environmental journalist Tom Horton in the October issue of National Geographic's Adventure magazine. In his article, "High Tide on the Chesapeake," Horton writes about his circumnavigation of the Delmarva Peninsula—by kayak—with friend Don Baugh, Vice President of Education for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. While the article is not available on National Geographic's Web site, you can read Baugh's personal journals from the trip on the Expeditions section of CBF's website. Or follow the route and Baugh's musings on the journey's Wayfaring.com interactive map.
Share your own trips
Submit your experiences along the Trail to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's John Smith Water Trail blog. Or read John Holum or John Page Williams' travel logs.
|
