When planning a paddling trip, many factors impact when and where I go. How far do I feel like driving? Is there an option for a one-way paddle, combined with a bike ride? Do I need to worry about the tide? What’s the weather forecast? What’s the wind direction? How many knots? Where can I access the water? Is there a ramp fee?
Here are a handful of the resources I’ve found to be super useful:
GOOGLE EARTH (for me, not necessarily beginners, this is by far the best tool for choosing a kayaking route – identify potential launching points, measure distances, and save completed routes)
Geo Tracker App (this is the app I use to navigate when I’m on the water, to record my trips, and upload to Google drive, Google earth, and my blog)
NOAA’s National Weather Service Marine Forecasts (for wind speed, direction, and a general look at the weather for different regions of Delmarva waters)
The Weather Channel (yeah, I sometimes find them to be annoying and overly dramatic, but the hourly forecast is a little more detailed than NOAA which can be helpful at times)
Around 2020-2021, I developed Delmarva Trails & Waterways, because I was so frustrated with all the various websites out there, all with varying degrees of thoroughness and user-friendliness. All the notes below are the tools I used to use, before I created the website. You can certainly see all my candid comments about each one. I hope you find Delmarva Trails & Waterways to be the most useful 🙂
I also began doing some contract work for Virginia Water Trails in 2021. When I landed this contract, I then created my own small business: Scharle Outdoor Recreation Consulting, LLC.
OLD NEWS c. 2019 (but keeping it here because it’s kinda funny):
Virginia Seaside Water Trail (very handy website through the VA Department of Environmental Quality that gives very detailed descriptions of water trails, access points, ability levels, tidal restrictions, etc.)
Virginia Water Trails – Eastern Shore (this has way more detail than the site above does not)
MD Boating Access Map (interactive map that shows all boating access points in Maryland!)
Dorchester County Paddling Guide (this has similar information to the MD Boating Access Map, but the icons differentiate soft launches and boat ramps which can be useful)
Paddle Coastal Delaware (I didn’t really use this website since I know coastal Delaware kayaking spots pretty well, but I WAS on the committee that helped develop the content!)
Paddle the Nanticoke (I like this site because it gives more details than some of the state and county boating access maps. For example, it noted that a launch on Elliott Island would not be accessible at some high tides as the roads leading to it would probably be flooded!)
Talbot County Public Landings (This is a helpful site, except there is no map view which I find frustrating. If you need a map view, you can use the Talbot County Land Use Map to see the landings on a map, but you have to make sure you hit the right map layers you need and it can be a little confusing to use)
Somerset County Ramps & Marinas (this has a nice detailed list of boat ramps, but no map view, so if I need a map, I just go to the MD Boating Access Map)
Accomack County Public Boating Facilities (I love this site! The Accomap feature is SUPER helpful)
Northampton County Boat Ramps (not as user-friendly as Accomack, but it gets the job done)
Queen Anne’s County Landings & Piers (make sure you click on the Facilities Module link to see the interactive map)
Delaware Tidal Water Boat Access Areas (a super LAME website – just a text list of locations – no map, no directions, no addresses – get with the times, DELAWARE!)
laura paddles delmarva 