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OK folks, I know it's still a bit cool but I promised the kids this (summer) that I would get some floatys and find some sweetwater to pull em around a bit. I am not real familiar with the rivers in the northern bay but I would guess that some would be good and (fresh) for playing. How about some suggestions for where to go. Thanks, BigGrin
I would vote for a couple places: Round Bay in the Severn River. It has deep water and is nice and wide so you can do your thing away from the traffic. The inland points of the Rhode/West River are pretty nice, especially around the Smithsonian. Eastern Bay also seems to be a nice place to pull toys. Have fun!
Thanks San Man, I think I know the place your refering to in the Severn, I thinks it's just out from Smith Marina. That sounds good. I would think that Eastern Bay would be full of nettles in the summer months. Anyone ever been up to the Sassafras? I heard that that might be nice to pull tubes also. BigGrin
I would take the kids to the eastern shore,one of the cleanest places over there is Fairlee Creek. Very clean water,and sandy bottom. The tidal pull near the outlet is VERY strong,,, so make sure the kids stay near shore. not sure of speed limit in there, may not be able to tow tubes, ect.
Big Grin,
We usually cruise the upper bay around Turkey Point.. You have the susquhanna (?), Northeast and Elk Rivers coming together.. You also have sassafrass and a few other smaller tributaries. If you stay away from the main channels there is usually more than enough room for tubers. Also you get some mighty big wakes from the larger ships and ships heading to/from the C&D canal. We have been boating there about 5 years now and love it. Usually put in at Elk Neck state park. This is also my first year getting the kids a tube.. Got a Big Bertha last week. itching for warmer water.
Also the water temp up that way tends to get pretty comfortable. There are quite a few beaches where we anchor up and play.. so between tubing, swimming, etc I am looking forward to a nice summer.
I am also looking forward to trying out the Upper Bay this summer. How crowded does it get on the weekend? Looking to take the family out exploring, tubing and fishing. Would you suggest putting in at Duffy's Creek on the Sassafrass River, Tidewater Marina in HVDG, Anchor Marine in North East, or just head to Elk Neck. We have a 17' runabout w/ 70HP motor used mostly on lakes and bay at the Jersey shore. Thanks!
I have only put in out of Elk Neck, plenty of parking, it is something like $5 entrance fee. They have fuel and a small store, 4 ramps. We have also put in at Delaware City and ran down the canal . I would be interested in trying some of the other places but Elk Neck works for us. We have a 18' runabout. It can get crowded on weekends but not too bad. Usually we get there earlier in the day, the biggest problem with the crowds is the waves tend to stack up a bit, especialy at Turkey point. Once you clear it, its not too bad. The entrance to the sassafrass is huge and looks to be great for tubing.
Upper Severn is a good place to ski. Any place that is good will be crowded in the middle of the day on the weekends though. I havent been up the Sasafrass in quite a while but can remember a lot of nice places to anchor up and swim. I think if you plan you day to ski either in the morning or in the evening with the rafting up and swimming in the middle of the day you will find the best situation. Good luck and do some exploring.
San Man,
Where is the Smithsonian you refered to?
I am out of Rhode River Marina.
I saw a small bowrider tubing just west of High Island where the sailboaters Anchor. I think that is close to the YMCA.
I too am looking for areas to ski & Tube
This is the link to the Smithsonian's site on the Rhode River. It has an arial map, but doesn't really show the location and I couldn't find a better map. It's one of the most inland points of the river. It's the property that's completely undeveloped. If you get close enough, you can see all the signs that say "Federal Government Property, No Trespassing" I don't know the names of the islands, but there is an island near it, so it might be the one you're referring to.
Yes, that is the area I saw someone tubing in a couple weeks ago.
If you go to mapquest.com and enter Mayo, MD then head west you can see this area on the map.
Big Island is the one you can clearly see on the map. High Island is actually really low. I can't remember the island on to the north.
I have a book called 'cruising the chesapeake" . It states that you can beach your boat on the East Side of Big Island. I have not tried that yet but may investigate.
A couple weeks ago, just below AC 9 on your map (west of Big Island) I saw a 25-30' sailboat that had run a ground. Guess he did not set his anchor well.
Best places near the bay to swim/pull toys? 
