AUGUST 2023

Maryland Eastern Shore

Where: eastern side of Chesapeake Bay

Directions: Route 50 from the west; Router 13 from north/south

Good to Know:

* Dogs are not allowed on the Ocean City beach or boardwalk anytime between May 1 to September 30.

* Dogs are not allowed on the channel-side nature trails in the national seashore.

* Dogs are prohibited in the entire Virginia portion of Assateague Island.

* At Assateague State Park dogs can’t use the day use areas between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

* At Pocomoke River State Park dogs are allowed in Milburn Landing and day-use areas in Shad Landing

Why so good: 

Only about 7% of Marylanders live on the Eastern Shore but those demographics flip in the summertime. Wait until after the summer crush to allow your dog to enjoy the Atlantic Ocean beaches to the max. The maximum elevation on the Eastern Shore is only 100 feet and save for hiking in the sand, your dog will never find a trail not rated “Easy.”

THE NATIONAL SEASHORE.

Assateague was connected to the mainland until 1933 when an August hurricane tore open an inlet to the Sinepuxent Bay that now separates Assateague from Ocean City. A bridge to the mainland opened in 1962 and in 1965 Assateague Island became a national seashore. Miles and miles of undeveloped beach march south out of the tail-friendly campground on this lovely barrier island. Entrance fees are good for one week and your dog is always allowed in the Atlantic Ocean here until you reach the Virginia border - which is hours of beach walking away. Assateague Island is the famous home of the free-roaming “Chincoteague Ponies,” a present-day reminder of Assateague Island’s past. Although no one is certain when or how the ponies first arrived on the island, a popular legend tells of ponies that escaped a shipwrecked Spanish galleon and swam ashore. However, most historians believe that settlers used the island for grazing livestock (including ponies and other farm animals) in the 17th Century to avoid fencing regulations and taxation. The ponies rule the island and you can see them on the roads or even meet them in the surf.

THE STATE PARK.

The easy-moving waters of the Tuckahoe Creek have long attracted settlers on its banks from the Nanticoke Indians through Colonial villagers as it flowed into Choptank River. A grist mill operated here in the late 1700s with millstones imported from England. The mill was destroyed in 1924 when a dam burst and was never rebuilt. The State of Maryland began acquiring land along the Tuckahoe in 1962 and the park opened to the public in 1975. Today Tuckahoe State Park contains 3,800 acres of land in the stream valley. The backbone of a potpourri of canine hiking is the Tuckahoe Valley Trail that travels 4.5 easy miles through a climax deciduous forest. The route is well-hydrated with tiny streams. For more varied terrain try the CreekSide Cliff Trail that explores the high banks cut by the Tuckahoe. Grab a map and combine the many short trails to craft a canine hiking day - and keep a lookout for evidence of the many settlements that populated the valley over the centuries. The Little Florida Trail visits the remains of an old sand-and-gravel operation.

THE ARBORETUM.

The best place to take your dog at Tuckahoe State Park is the 400-acres of the Adkins Arboretum in the center of the park. Dogs aren’t often welcome in these living museums and this one is a real treat. The well-groomed trails work the upland forests around three creeks and after wandering under tower- ing tulip poplars and loblolly pines your dog can luxuriate in the grassy paths of two meadows.

THE WILDLIFE REFUGE.

There are several miles of quiet park roads that lead to different points on the island but you will want to concentrate on the short footpaths through the refuge. The shortest - but maybe not the quickest if you dally to admire the views - is the Bayview-Butterfly Trail that takes in expansive vistas on the Chesapeake Bay, a wooded pond and a restored grassland in less than one-half mile. Small sandy beaches on the Chester River will be a highlight of your dog’s visit to Eastern Neck NWR. The 1.2-mile Wildlife Loop is devoted to the habitat of the rare Delmarva fox squirrel, found only on the peninsula.The mixed pine-hardwood forest is an ideal home for a mammal that has seen its preferred habitat so decimated it has been endangered since 1967. The largest of the handful of local tree squirrels, the reclusive creature is hard to spot even though it grows over two feet long. Look for a flash of white belly and large bushy tail with black edge stripes in tree cavities or scampering along the ground of the open forest - unlike its more agile cousins the Delmarva fox squirrel doesn’t jump from tree to tree.

THE STATE FOREST.

The Pocomoke River State Forest and Park protects more than 15,000 acres of woodlands more commonly seen in the Deep South - towering loblolly forests, eerie cypress swamps and great swaths of black gum trees. The star canine hike here is the leafy Bald Cypress Nature Trail that departs from the first parking lot at the Mattaponi Pavilion. To find the trailhead, turn right onto Mattaponi Road opposite the campground and make your first left. The trail is barely maintained in the early going and it takes awhile to reach the bald cypress swamp but there is extended walking along this unique natural treasure.