Exploring the Remote Eastern Shore of Delaware, Maryland, and Virgina
“Woah-ah-ah-ah,” I stammered,as my teeth chattered like it was a freezing morning in the mountains. “Not-t-t what I expected-ed-ed.”
I was towing our camper at five mph along a cobblestone street from the 1700s. My wife was bouncing in the passenger seat, clinging to the oh-shit handle like we were off-roading through the Utah desert and not a historical district outside Wilmington, Del.
Our rig lurched to a halt, and we stiffly climbed out for a warm walk through First State National Historical Park. Established in 2013, this NPS unit preserves, among other things, a series of historic buildings in a quaint redbrick neighborhood where people continue to live.
After touring the visitor center exhibits, we stopped by a highlight, the New Castle Court House. Built in 1730, it’s one of the oldest surviving courthouses in the country, and the place where the Delaware colonial assembly voted for independence in 1776. Walking east through the neighborhood led us to a small waterfront park next to the lowermost reach of the Delaware River.
To the south was Delmarva, a remote peninsula where portions of three states—Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia—are surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Most people who come to this lesser-known region head straight to the beach, but there are also several parks and museums. Our plan was to check out a little of both.
Pocomoke River State Park
Over five days, we came to grasp the layout of this leaf-shaped peninsula, which is roughly 175 miles long and 65 miles wide in the middle. Most of the population and tourist activity is understandably clustered along the eastern shore and its sandy barrier islands. Inland from there, we found mostly rural farmland, while the western side along Chesapeake Bay is tidal wetlands.
One exception is Pocomoke State Forest, in the heart of the peninsula, where we had our first camp. Millburn Landing Campground in Pocomoke River State Park is a very scenic spot, with pine-forested sites next to the blackwater Pocomoke River. This would be a great place for fall adventures like hiking and paddling. However, since we were passing through in summer, the bugs and heat pointed us to exploring outward.
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park
One morning, we visited the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad NHP on the western side of the peninsula in Maryland. This small NPS unit commemorates the life of renowned abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who was born enslaved around 1822 on a large plantation nearby. After suffering violent beatings during her youth, she escaped in her mid-20s by following a secret route between safehouses operated by antislavery activists.
Upon reaching the North, Tubman repeatedly risked her life and returned to the South, ultimately leading around 70 of her enslaved family and friends to freedom. In the process, she became the best-known conductor on the Underground Railroad. Established in 2013, the national historical park has an impressive museum and a short outdoor walking path.
A few miles east is the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, which has a visitor center with nature exhibits, plus several driving and walking routes. The nearby site of Tubman’s childhood home is now a historic landmark. Linking all these sites, plus others, is the Tubman Byway, a 125-mile driving route related to the abolitionist and the Underground Railroad.
Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland
That afternoon, we drove east to the northern side of Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland, which is interwoven with Assateague State Park and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. The result is an entirely preserved and mostly undeveloped 37-mile-long barrier island, one of just a few such wild places along the East Coast.
The Maryland side of the seashore is known for its herd of wild horses, which roam freely across the northern half of the island. Other highlights include miles of undeveloped beaches, several reservable campgrounds, and a series of short walking paths and boardwalks. Fishing and paddling on Chincoteague Bay are also popular.
The northern island is the busier of the two sides, given its proximity to the tourist hub of Ocean City, Md. The city has tons of restaurants and several popular breweries, including Sinepuxent and Fin City. We stopped at the latter where my wife had a lime summer ale, and I had a solid session pilsner. But first, we detoured through the town to catch a glimpse of the famous U.S. 50 highway sign, which lists the mileage to Sacramento, CA 3073.
Ocean City – The Eastern End of US-50
When I was a college outdoor guide in the Sacramento area, we’d pass under a similar sign listing Ocean City, MD 3073, every time we drove to the Sierra Nevada Mountains or South Lake Tahoe. Most of us young guides dreamed about driving the entire highway across the country. Of course, some older guides had already done it, and they took great pleasure in telling us, “Don’t bother, it sucks.”
Years later, having explored all across the country, and having repeatedly stumbled onto sections of America’s “loneliest road,” I can tell you those cynical guides got it wrong. Via US-50, I’ve visited surprising mountains in Great Basin National Park in Nevada and slot canyons and desert rivers in the San Rafael Swell and Canyonlands region of Utah. In Colorado, the highway passes Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and classic whitewater runs on the upper Arkansas River.
In the Midwest, US-50 leads to rolling grasslands and spring-fed rivers of the Ozarks. Then in West Virginia, it skirts the Monongahela National Forest before ending near the surprisingly wild Assateague Island. It’s unclear how those older guides missed all this stuff, but US-50 is only 3,073 miles long, so maybe they were stoned.
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia
We spent the next day at Chincoteague NWR on the Virginia side of Assateague Island. This side doesn’t have free-roaming horses, but it does have over 10 miles of paths for cycling and walking through coastal woods and wetlands. Such mileage is hard to find along this coast, which made this our favorite stop on the entire peninsula.
We started in the morning, since the paved Wildlife Loop is closed to cars each day until 3pm. After exploring the bird-filled trails, and a lighthouse near the visitor center, we packed up lunch and towels. We rode the service road north to a barrier and turned onto a trail leading into the dunes. The water was warm, the waves were mellow, and the beach was nearly empty in both directions.
Kiptopeke State Park, Virginia
Our final camp was near the southern end of the peninsula at Kiptopeke State Park. Nearby is the impressive 23-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, with an equally eye-popping toll around $20, connecting Delmarva to the mainland near Virginia Beach.
Kiptopeke’s RV sites are somewhat pricey for being grassy plots in a field with some scattered pines and oaks. The real draw is a long and narrow strip of sandy beach on the Chesapeake Bay. This is an excellent swimming area due to a near-shore breakwater made from concrete ships that served in the South Pacific during World War II.
Fifteen minutes north of the park is the bayside town of Cape Charles, Va. At the popular beach, everyone gathers for the rare East Coast sunset over water. The locals’ golf carts also tend to congregate at the best restaurants. One is a classy Italian restaurant called Deadrise, with excellent pizza and cocktails. Or out on the road into town, the casual Cape Charles Brewing Company has great burgers and beers. My wife enjoyed the blood-orange Berliner Weiss, while I got a hazy NEIPA.
Our summer road trip was coming to an end. Normally, we might have spent our last day kayaking out to explore the unique breakwater. That would have to wait for next time. After plenty of hiking, biking, and paddling, we decided to follow the relaxing lead of our fellow beachgoers. We tossed towels on the sand and floated aimlessly in the warm waters.
Cover photo: The breakwater at kiptopeke state park. photo courtesy of Virginia Tourism Corp.
