planning idea's

[Ravenwolf]

My wife and I, want to get planning a camping, canoe trip. I understand that most state parks in Pa. / Md. You must make a reservation. That being said, this is are first trip, does someone like a park within 4/5 hours from Gettysburg. Best to you and yours, Ravenwolf

 

[stripperguy]

Too bad, my favorite playground, the Adirondacks, is just outside your travel window.
If you were willing to go just a bit farther, I could recommend many trips that you two would enjoy...

 

[Ravenwolf]

Great, idea we are trying to start local. The way it is here , and probably most places is get online and reserve a site. I know the lakeside tent, fire, lake setup is farther north. More trade off down here, but its a start. Ravenwolf

 

[madmike]

Check with Blue Mountain Outfitters in Harrisburg, Pa. I think people paddle and camp on islands in the Susquehanna.

 

[Hanz]

You can canoe & camp along the Delaware in the Water Gap.

I used Adventure Sports in Marshall's Creek PA for a shuttle. No complaints with them. I didn't camp, just a 14 mile day trip with my Sweetheart. I'm sure Adventure Sports has more info:

398 Seven Bridge Road, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301 (800) 487-2628

 

[madmike]

If traveling in the Lower Delaware NP, check out the free shuttle bus, with canoe trailer Pocono Pony

 

[Guest]

My wife and I, want to get planning a camping, canoe trip. I understand that most state parks in Pa. / Md. You must make a reservation. That being said, this is are first trip, does someone like a park within 4/5 hours from Gettysburg. Best to you and yours, Ravenwolf

I’m not entirely clear on whether you are looking for a paddle-in camping area or a State Park with paddling opportunities.

If it is the latter I would recommend one of several State Parks on the DeMarva peninsula. My favorite of those is Pocomoke River State Park near Snow Hill MD (3.5 hours from Gettysburg).

http://dnr2.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/eastern/pocomokeriver.aspx

Pocomoke River SP has two areas, Shad Landing on the east side of the river and Milburn Landing on the west. I much prefer the Milburn area; less crowded, less developed and I have rarely needed reservations except on summer holiday weekends.

From either the Shad or Milburn camping areas there are a half dozen superb day paddling rivers and streams within a 30 minute drive. Well, there is the Pocomoke itself right in front of camp, but there is also:

Nassawango Creek. Paddling Nassawango, from Red House Rd (15 minutes from the park) down to the confluence with the Pocomoke and up (tidal) to Snow Hill is 5.4 miles on some of the eastern shore’s best. It has some rare plants and animals and parts are owned by the Nature Conservancy, including a nice high ground leg stretcher spot.

http://www.nature.org/ourinitiative...placesweprotect/nassawango-creek-preserve.xml

The non-tidal Pocomoke River above Snow Hill has a different feel, a heavily canopied blackwater trip that eventually opens into a head-of-tidal marsh.

The best of the non-tidal Pocomoke is Porter Crossing Rd to Snow Hill. 5.1 miles of easy blackwater, with some current for the first 4 miles or so. I wouldn’t recommend paddling above Porters Crossing; that area can be heavily strainered.

The Pocomoke River Canoe Company in Snow Hill will run a shuttle for either Porter Crossing or Nassawango and they keep that section of the Pocomoke largely strainer free.

http://www.pocomokerivercanoe.com/

Another delightful paddling spot is nearby Dividing Creek, which is an up (as far as you want to paddle, it goes on for miles) and back on an amazing little creek that twists and winds its way for a long distance up into the swamp but somehow manages to stay quite deep and wider than a canoe is long.

No shuttle needed for that one, and the put in is 15 minutes from Milburn Landing. Put in at the ramp on Winters Quarters Lane (1[SUP]st[/SUP] left after crossing the bridge into Pocomoke City) paddle north until the last house has just faded from view and turn left into Dividing Creek, the entrance to which doesn’t look like much at first, just an opening in the trees with a watery path through the lily pads.

The eastern shore of Maryland and the DeMarVa are rich in State Parks and in paddleable waterways. Some other’s profiled here:

http://travelhag.com/2013/06/22/top-ten-kayak-trails/

If you stayed at each Maryland or Delaware State Park or Nat’l Seashore and paddled just the water in front of camp and the good stuff within a 20 minute drive you would need several weeks.

An invaluable resource for that area is Edward Gertler’s “Maryland and Delaware Canoe Trails”. Gertler describes something like 50 different paddling rivers and creeks just on the Eastern Shore.

http://www.amazon.com/Maryland-Dela...oe+trails&pebp=1421164768903&peasin=960590897

 

[Ravenwolf]

THANKS to everyone, I will work on the info given. RAVENWOLF

 

[thistlecap]

Dear Ravenwolf, do you have the DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer for PA? If not, I'd recommend it. For most adventure seekers, it is the go-to planning source. It will tell you every resource you could have an interest in---ramps or walk-in launch sites, camping, points of interest, regulations, etc. Check the link. http://shop.delorme.com/ for atlas and gazetteers by state.