Maryland's Eastern Shore

The Delmarva Peninsula, separated from the rest of Maryland by the Chesapeake Bay, takes its name from the three states that share it — Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Maryland's nine counties on the peninsula make up the state's Eastern Shore and the bulk of Delmarva. The Eastern Shore and the barrier islands Maryland shares with Virginia have been made famous in fiction by James Michener's Chesapeake and Marguerite Henry's Misty of Chincoteague as well as by the very real work of Harriet Tubman on the Underground Railroad. The Eastern Shore is farm and fishing country; residents have traditionally made a living from ...

The Delmarva Peninsula, separated from the rest of Maryland by the Chesapeake Bay, takes its name from the three states that share it — Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Maryland's nine counties on the peninsula make up the state's Eastern Shore and the bulk of Delmarva. The Eastern Shore and the barrier islands Maryland shares with Virginia have been made famous in fiction by James Michener's Chesapeake and Marguerite Henry's Misty of Chincoteague as well as by the very real work of Harriet Tubman on the Underground Railroad. The Eastern Shore is farm and fishing country; residents have traditionally made a living from truck-farmed vegetables, poultry, and shellfish. Life is pretty quiet, despite the streams of visitors to the numerous beaches, parks and public wetlands, especially the Assateague National Seashore, Assateague State Park, and the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, for camping, hiking, birding, and catching a glimpse of the famous wild ponies on Assateague Island. The land here tends to be very flat, making it prime cycling country, and kayaking is great in the coastal marshes, tidal estuaries, and cypress-bordered rivers.

About the Expert

Stillman Rogers has written more than two dozen guidebooks, including Adventure Guide to Canada's Atlantic Provinces, Guide to Eastern Canada, and Adventure Guide to the Chesapeake.