MARYLAND AT A GLANCE

WATERWAYS

BOATING WATERS

[photo, USS Constellation, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland]
  • Boat Registration (DNR)
  • Boating in Maryland (DNR)
  • Boating Safety (DNR)
  • Courtesy on the Water (DNR)
  • Marinas, Certified Maryland Clean (DNR)
  • Natural Resources Police Force
  • Sailing

    • USS Constellation, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland, November 2009. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    [photo, Boat rack along St. Mary's River, St. Mary's City, Maryland]

    [photo, Kayaks, Snow Hill, Maryland] Boat rack along St. Mary's River (left), St. Mary's City, Maryland, May 2009. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.


    Kayaks (right), Snow Hill, Maryland, June 2018. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    [photo, Anchors, Havre de Grace Maritime Museum, 100 Lafayette St., Havre de Grace, Maryland] Maryland's 23 rivers and bays combine with more than 400 miles of water tributary to the Chesapeake Bay, and coastal bays. To and from the Atlantic Ocean, some 35 miles of water are accessible.

    Information about licensing, boat titles, and boat registration is available from the Licensing and Registration Service of the Department of Natural Resources. The Department also provides information about public boat launch facilities in Maryland.

    The Maryland Water Trails Program within the Department of Natural Resources coordinates the development, promotion, and protection of a system of water trails throughout the State.


    Anchors, Havre de Grace Maritime Museum, 100 Lafayette St., Havre de Grace, Maryland, June 2015. Photo by Sarah A. Hanks.

    [photo, Sailboat, Patapsco River, Locust Point, Baltimore, Maryland] As of 2019, Maryland has 480 Public Water Access sites to serve the general boating public. This number includes 249 boat ramps for motorized vessels, 219 soft access sites for non-motorized vessels and 12 other public water access sites that include docking facilities and wharves. Maryland also has over 782 miles of State designated water trails.

    As of 2018, some 170,000 boats were registered in Maryland, including over 18,000 personal watercraft.

    Sailboat, Patapsco River, Locust Point, Baltimore, Maryland, June 2019. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    [photo, Canoes, Snow Hill, Maryland] [photo, Crab boat with crab pots (traps), Chesapeake Beach, Maryland] The Eastern Shore offers rivers and tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay on which to canoe, kayak, fish, or sail, but it also hosts powerboat shows.

    Canoes (left), Snow Hill, Maryland, June 2018. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    Crab boat with crab pots (traps) (right), Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, June 2010. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    [photo, Skipjack H. M. Krentz on Miles River, St. Michaels, Maryland] On the Eastern Shore in Dorchester County, the Cambridge Classic powerboat races are held. Dating from 1910, they are the nation's oldest active powerboat races. The next race will be held in May 2021. Cambridge also will host another powerboat race, the Thunder on the Choptank, in July 2021.

    Chestertown in Kent County holds its annual Sultana Downrigging Weekend Tall Ship and Wooden Boat Festival each fall. It will next be held October 29-31, 2021.

    Skipjack H. M. Krentz on Miles River, St. Michaels, Maryland, February 2005. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    [photo, Sailboats, Back Creek, Annapolis, Maryland] In Talbot County, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels hosts the Antique and Classic Boat Festival each June and the Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival every fall. The next Small Craft Festival will take place October 2-3, 2020, and the Antique Boat Festival will be held in June 2021.

    In Wicomico County, Ocean City hosts the annual Seaside Boat Show in February. The next show will be in February 2021.

    The Baltimore Boat Show is held each winter at the Baltimore Convention Center. The next show will be held in January 2021.

    Sailboats, Back Creek, Annapolis, Maryland, September 2009. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    [photo, Boats at piers, Severn River, Crownsville, Maryland] The Mid-Atlantic's largest Spring boat show, the Bay Bridge Boat Show, is held annually on Kent Island at Stevensville. It is scheduled to be held next in April 2021.

    Annapolis, Maryland's capital city, hosts the Spring Sailboat Show each April and the United States Powerboat and Sailboat Shows each October at the City Dock.

    Also in Annapolis, the Helly Hansen National Offshore One-Design (NOOD) Regatta takes place each May, but due to the coronavirus, the next Regatta will be held Aug. 28-30, 2020.

    Boats at piers, Severn River, Crownsville, Maryland, May 2015. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

    [photo, Youghiogheny River, Friendsville, Maryland] In Western Maryland's Garrett County, the Youghiogheny Scenic and Wild River provides some of the best whitewater rafting east of the Mississippi. Its 20-mile stretch below the Youghiogheny River Reservoir offers whitewater rafting, beginning with class I and II rapids for the first 9 miles, and ending with a class III and IV section the next 7 miles.

    Also in Garrett County, the International Canoe Federation (ICF) 2014 Canoe Slalom World Championships were held in McHenry. That international event, on Sept. 17-21, 2014, required competitors to navigate a 300-meter whitewater course in either a canoe or kayak.



    Youghiogheny River, Friendsville, Maryland, October 2015. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

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