Thirty miles of well-marked water trails, six miles of sandy beaches reachable only by boat, and backcountry camping make Janes Island stand out among the state parks I've been to. Just don't go in July. Or do, and bring a cooler filled with a lot of ice. And DEET.
I learned a lot of my first overnight canoe trip. For example, if you load up a canoe with three adults, including one sitting high above the gunwales on top of the cooler, and head out into the open bay in slightly choppy water, someone may freak out and insist on going to shore. That someone is me.
Yet I still recommend this park. It is beautiful, the wildlife is top-notch, and the camping is worthwhile.
View Janes Island backcountry sites in a larger map
Janes Island is all about the water. It is located on the Chesapeake Bay at the very southern tip of Maryland. The park has two components: the mainland and an island, separated from the mainland by a canal. The "island" is salt water marsh principally, with broad water trails running through it and a handful of pine tree groves providing for solid land. There is no hiking on the island, unless you want to walk up and down the six miles of beach bordering the western side.
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| Taking a breather on terra firma following my freak out... |
The Trails
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| Wet Boots beats the sun and flies. |
To get to the beaches, one must take the Yellow Trail for approximately 1.25 miles straight out of the marina. We made it in about 30 minutes. The beaches are most easily reached by tying up your boat to a small dock. There are some breaks in the marsh where you could also beach your boat and walk over a small dune to the other side, but be warned: the marsh-side openings may look to be sandy, but it is marsh muck. If you are lucky, you'll just sink into your knees. If you aren't lucky, you'll be missing your shoes when you finally pull your legs out.
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| Alaska with a white crane ahead. |
For the more experienced and adventurous, there is also a 12-mile trail that circumnavigates the island. Setting aside my discomfort on the open water, I still wouldn't plan my trip around it. The waters surrounding the park have plenty of motorboats, fisherman, and houses. It is not nearly as tranquil as the interior pathways.
You can - and should - purchase a waterproof map of the park and the water trails at the camp store ($3).
The Camping
We chose to car camp the first night, and backcountry camp on the island the second night. On the island, there are three backcountry sites, all with elevated wooden platforms to set up your tent on.
1. The South Site: The farthest site from the marina is on the southern tip of the island (4 miles away). I didn't see it so I can't vouch for it, but the Washington Post reviewed it back in 2002.
3. Daughtery Creek: I do recommend the Daughterty Creek site. From the marina, it is just over a mile north along the canal. While there are some houses on the right as you paddle up, the site itself is set back in a grove of pine trees. It is shaded, quiet, cool, and quite a nice place to spend an afternoon while it is too hot out on the water.
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| Pine cone baseball at Daughterty Creek. |
On the mainland, everything is within sight of the water: car-camping sites, camp store and ranger office, tons of bathrooms (with nice showers), and a small marina. As an added bonus, a local pizza shop will deliver to your camp site.
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| Heck yeah! |
The car camping is really set up for RVs, not tents. Getting tent stakes into the crushed gravel "tent pad" was not feasible, but that is true at most mixed-use campgrounds. Our particular site was pretty good on the bugs. There was a slight breeze, and the biting black flies stayed away for the most part. (DEET is a must.) The walk from the tents to the showers was much hairier.
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| One of our neighbors on the mainland |
Logistics
Janes Island State Park is approximately 3 hours from DC. For the GPS unit, plug in 26280 Alfred Lawson Drive, Crisfield MD 21817. Take 50 East over the Bay Bridge to Salisbury, MD, then 13 South to 413 South. Once you are in Crisfield, turn right on Mill Lane and another quick right on Jacksonville Lane. The park entrance (with a large sign) will be on the left about one mile down the road. There is a Food Lion grocery store right at Mill Lane and 413 South, for any last minute supplies.
The park rents canoes and kayaks by the hour. Although not advertised, they will let you take one overnight if you are camping in the island's backcountry. We paid $50 for ours, picking it up Friday evening so we could get an early start Saturday and promising to return by 8am on Sunday. (Call the park ahead of time to reserve your backcountry spot and the canoe.) Our Sea to Summit waterproof bags came in handy in the canoe for keeping the tent and food dry.
If you are planning a summer trip, take the risks from the heat seriously. Given that the area is a salt water marsh, you need to bring all of your drinking water. We froze gallon-size jugs of water and put them in the cooler, which worked great for having cold water on hand, keeping food cold overnight, and having something to hug when it was 95 degrees out. Don't count on a refreshing swim - jellyfish are everywhere. The primitive sites on the island have no facilities (bathrooms, etc.) and no open fires are permitted.
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| Sunset from the Daughterty Creek tent platform. |
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