Sand and Solitude: Secret Beaches of the Chesapeake

My toes are wriggling in soft sand as the Chesapeake Bay laps at the shore a few feet away. The sky is a perfect blue with a few puffs of cloud. A group of sailboats bob in the distance. Tangles of dried seagrass rustle in the breeze. I’m cocooned in a private hideaway not much bigger than a beach blanket, tucked in a sweet spot where the grassy turf meets the shore. I’m guarded by a tulip poplar tree that offers dappled shade as the tide ebbs and the sunlight shifts. No one knows I’m here.

Yet steps away two men are firing up the grill for a family reunion as relatives arrive in matching blue t-shirts carrying more food than the grove of picnic tables can possibly hold. Down the shore a piece is a public beach filled with sunscreen-smeared kids running back and forth from the sand to the sea testing out the water. There is a bathhouse and a concessions stand. A father and son are heading from the parking lot to a rocky jetty with fishing rods in hand. This is Rocky Point Park in Essex, less than a 30-minute drive from Baltimore City, and one of many access points to the Chesapeake Bay suitable for a day in the sun.

A secret slice of sand along the Chesapeake Bay at Rocky Point Beach and Park.

No need to travel to busy beaches along the Atlantic coast when you can find your own spot of sand close to home. There are nearly 7,000 miles of shoreline along the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay, 761 public access sites, and many secret spots waiting to be discovered.

I’ve been searching for gems along the Chesapeake for years, trying to conjure up that undeveloped strip of sand in Calvert County where my parents and I used to picnic in tantalizing proximity to both sea and sand. A small stand of scraggly pine trees offered a bit of shade for our feast of cold Shake ‘N Bake chicken and homemade brownies, washed down with a thermos of lemonade. We could’ve been the first settlers for all I knew. I don’t ever remember seeing another soul. I do recall the velvet-like ripples on the water. The cool, salty air. The peace of it all. It’s still possible to find a sliver of solitude, to imagine you are the only one with a waterfront view, despite 18.2 million people that live in the Chesapeake Bay region.

Here are a few of my favorite spots and tips on how to find your own sandy refuge:

Elk Neck State Park at the top of the Chesapeake has lighthouse trail that starts at the water’s edge and ends atop a cliff.

Bird’s eye view of Chesapeake Bay

Travel north towards the Pennsylvania line and down along one of the many finger-like peninsulas that poke in to the northernmost part of the Chesapeake Bay to Elk Neck State Park that offers a fully-accessible public beach and swimming area with coarse orange sand and lots of sun. However, it’s only a short stroll down the shoreline to find a quiet, natural spot of your own with water as far as the eye can see with stands of forest to your back. Prop yourself up against a piece of weathered driftwood and settle in for the day. Before you leave, take 1.5-mile round-trip trail to the Turkey Point lighthouse perched on a surprising 100-foot bluff with a bird’s eye view of the Chesapeake Bay. Or take the expert trail to explore the rocky shoreline and climb to the heights through the forest on your own two feet. Elk Neck State Park (Cecil County), 4395 Turkey Point Rd, North East, MD, fee.

Flag Ponds Nature Park in southern Maryland requires a hike through the forest with the rewards of soft sand.

Sharing the beach with sharks teeth

Millions of years ago, sharks, whales and crocodiles patrolled the waters where Flag Ponds Nature Park now sits. Along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in southern Maryland, you can comb the water’s edge for sharks teeth and fossils. It’s a beautiful hike to get there. A half-mile beach path winds through cool forest that opens up to a marshy tidal wetland, tall grasses waving in the breeze. You might even fool yourself into thinking you are the first one to find this beach as you step out into the sunlight. (Especially if you can ignore the nearby Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in the distance.) There is a small fishing pier and public beach area with great swimming (and floating) in shallow waters. However, there aren’t any services near the beach, so bring water and snacks. The parking lot fills up early, and entrance to the park is limited. Flag Ponds Nature Park (Calvert County), 1525 Flag Ponds Parkway Lusby, MD, fee.

Beach by boat

Hart-Miller Island State Park, located just off the mouth of Back River in the northern Chesapeake Bay, is a 1,100-acre island about two miles from shore and only accessible by boat. These eroding islands became a model dredging containment site for Baltimore harbor and are now an oasis for migrating birds and recreational boaters. The western shore of the island offers safe mooring, wading, and access to a half-mile sandy beach. There are day-use amenities, and boaters and beach-goers can also rent bicycles to ride around the eight miles of trails on the island. Hart-Miller Island State Park (Baltimore County), GPS Coordinates: 39.252790, -76.372469​​

Hidden beach at North Point State Park in Baltimore. Hint: Take the Black Marsh Trail.

Wild shorelines near Baltimore

Not far from downtown Baltimore you’ll find North Point State Park, once host to a wildly popular amusement park in the early 20th century, when it was just a trolley ride away from the city. It’s still a popular and busy spot, but if you’re feeling adventurous, hike the Black Marsh Trail to find your own slice of sand along the six miles of shoreline. The trail skirts the protected Black Marsh Wildlands, a somewhat eerie swamp filled punctuated by stoic herons, turtles, and buzzing dragonflies. (Wear your mosquito repellent or move quickly!) Take one of the short fishermen’s trials through the forest to find quiet stretches of natural beach littered with nothing but driftwood. North Point State Park (Baltimore County), 8400 North Point Road, Edgemere, MD, fee.

Dune buggy

Travel south, all the way down to the very end of the Eastern Shore, to find the Savage Neck Dunes Natural Area, nearly 300-acres of preserved land along the Chesapeake Bay and the only place you’ll find rare dunes as high as 50 feet and thought be have been part of the landscape for 10,000 years. The nearly mile long hike to the natural beach is an adventure through tall grasses, and thickets of loblolly pine trees, and sand swales. Take in the view from above, and then look for the rare northeastern beach tiger beetle along the mile of shoreline, which is one of the most important conservation areas in the world for the federally threatened insect. Savage Neck Dunes Natural Area Preserve, Savage Neck Road, Cape Charles, VA, free.

EMERGENCY BEACH When I need a beach, and I need it right away, I pull off Route 50 in Cambridge to visit Sailwinds Park. You’ve seen the Visitors Center with its huge white sail just over the Route 50 Bridge as you’re heading east towards Ocean City. There’s just enough beach to get your feet wet and take a breath, along with a mile-long boardwalk along the Choptank River to stretch your legs. Sailwinds Park (Dorchester County), 2 Rose Hill Place, Cambridge, MD, free.

Sunset by the beach

Just north on the Bay Bridge on the Eastern Shore, hidden behind a completely boring office park, is a 276-acre nature park with more than three miles of trails that wind through wetlands, meadows, and woods, leading eventually to a natural beach and a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk. Beachcombing can yield sea glass and bits of colonial pottery. With a view of the bridge in the distance, it’s the perfect place to bid adieu to the day and watch the orange and purple sunset. Terrapin Nature Park (Queen Anne’s County), 191 Log Canoe Circle, Cross Island Trail, Stevensville, MD 21666, free.

A NOTE ON SAFE SWIMMING Finally, a lot of people live along the Chesapeake, and water quality along its shorelines can deteriorate due to pollution caused by runoff after major storms, debris, or even sewage. Safety first! Check the status of your favorites beaches before you swim at marylandhealthybeaches.com.

FIND YOUR CHESAPEAKE
For more on finding the perfect spot to enjoy the Chesapeake Bay region, check out FindYourChesapeake for trip planning tools and ideas for things to do and places to go in the watershed. Prefer to explore beaches from the comfort of your home? The Chesapeake Conservancy and the National Park Service have created virtual river tours along the John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. Similar to exploring neighborhoods with Google street view, click to explore some of Chesapeake’s scenic rivers from the perspective of a kayaker.