Recently, I’ve been feeling restless, anxious, and stressed. The late part of summer and early fall were a whirlwind of really high highs and really low lows. I haven’t had the chance to escape by myself in a really long time, mainly driven by the coronavirus pandemic more than anything else. When my husband let me know he would be working back-to-back weekends in early October, I pounced on the opportunity to get away for a few days.
I went back and forth in choosing the location, torn between backpacking in western Maryland or a more relaxing car camping and kayaking adventure on the Eastern Shore. When push came to shove, I realized what I needed was a time to recharge my batteries, not drain them further. So I set my sight on a chill weekend away.
Pocomoke River State Park
Nestled between the towns of Snow Hill and Pocomoke City Maryland, and just a short drive away from the Maryland-Virginia border on the Eastern Shore, Pocomoke River State Park is a beautiful location for a short weekend getaway. There are two main camping areas – Milburn Landing and Shad Landing. When I visited, just Shad Landing was open, as paving was going on at Milburn Landing.
Shad Landing
Shad Landing has roughly 200 campsites that require an online reservation, and has a large waterfront area with public docks for motorboats, kayaks and canoes to drop in. I visited in October and was able to make a reservation the week prior, though I heard from a local in town that I was lucky, as this time of year lots of folks are visiting to get their last camping weekends in before the weather really turns.
There were not that many sites available when I booked, so I would recommend booking a little further in advance if possible. There are several different camping loops you can choose from at Shad Landing – I always choose non-electric because I just have a tent. Non-electric sites also help reduce the number of RVs you could be around, another plus if you’re just a tent camper like me.
Arrival and Check-In
When you first pull into the park, just follow the signs for ‘camp registration’. They will lead you to the main camp store. Walking inside, you let them know you’ve arrived, and they will give you a paper hanger to go on your rearview mirror. That hanger will also have the keycode to the park, should you find yourself out beyond the operating hours. You just need to key in the code, and the main gate will open for you. I never had to do this, but it seemed pretty straight forward.
I stayed at the Waters Edge camp loop, in site 62. In total, the loop has roughly 30 campsites, and a couple of water stations scattered around the area. My site was nice, nestled at the back of this section, set back from the main dock/boardwalk. This meant that no one really walked past my site except the neighbors, and an occasional couple on a walk or some kids on their bicycles.
You are a bit close to your neighbors, which for me was no problem because it was two solo travelers on either side of me. Both were very quiet and we all just kept to ourselves. I had hoped to strike up a conversation with one or both, but neither seemed keen on it – which was no problem!
The bathroom and wash house are a short walk away at the main camp registration building – which from my site I estimate was about .25 mile walk. I didn’t have any issues walking there, even in the dark, but I noticed some other solo female travelers opted to drive themselves, especially in the dark. I felt very safe and secure at this campground.
Activities at the Campground
The campground is really centered around water, so if you’re in to water-based activities, you’re in luck. If you’re not, that’s ok too – there are some cool biking trails nearby apparently! Not a lot of options for folks looking for solid hikes though.
Bring your own boat: If you have your own boat, you’re in luck at Shad Landing. My campground was full of folks with kayaks and canoes pulled up next to their tents, ready to be walked down to the dock for a day full of adventures. Lots of fishermen were in and out of the public dock during the day and evening too.
Rent a kayak or canoe: Pocomoke River Canoe Company has a location here as well, though I couldn’t quite figure out the situation because when I walked over to the boat house where all the kayaks were, no one was there. There was a sign on the boat house to call a phone number, so I’m thinking if you dial them up, they will maybe send someone down to the location and let you in that way. Not totally sure. More on Pocomoke River Canoe Company later though (they’re awesome!).
Go on a short hike: There are also a couple of hiking trails in the park, though I wouldn’t say they are particularly tough. Mainly, they are connector trails between the various camping loops, though they are nice, and did give me a good activity to do after I arrived on Friday afternoon. Bring shoes that can get dirty if you choose to go on the Trail of Change hike.
My trip itinerary:
Friday, October 8
Check-in was at 3pm, and the drive was roughly 3 hours from my house in DC. I took the day off work, so I left around noon. I arrived in good time, and went straight to check-in. I got there right before a big rush, and thankfully didn’t have to wait in line. I immediately went to my campsite, set up my tent, and tested out the walk to the bath house so I knew how to do it during daylight.
After scoping out the bath house, I headed back to camp and took a beat to decide what I wanted to do. Part of me wanted to go see if I could rent a kayak, but the other part didn’t. Remembering this was a relaxing trip, I opted to just meander around the campground instead. I headed towards the Trail of Change trail, which I would say was less than a mile long, and wove through cypress forest, in places a bit mucky and muddy. It was nice, and not too buggy though I bet in the summer time it’s rough. From there I hit the green trail, cutting straight across the campground to the blue trail, which took me back to the camp registration location. I wandered around by the docks, and then headed back to camp.
Around 5:30 I started dinner. I had packed some raviolis in my cooler, so needed to boil water. A pretty plain dinner for most, but it was just fine for me. Other more dedicated chefs could have added toppings or olive oil, I literally just ate the boiled ravioli. It did it’s job, and had very minimal clean up which was perfect.
I crawled into bed around 730pm, read my book for a few hours, and fell asleep. I didn’t have a super great night sleep – I’m a light sleeper, and there were lots of chattering bugs during the night. I probably would bring earplugs with me next time.
Saturday, October 9 –
Part 1: Kayaking!
On Friday morning, I had called ahead to Pocomoke River Canoe Company to inquire about a kayak rental and the different kayaking options they had. The gentleman on the phone was incredibly kind, and suggested I try the Porters Landing kayak trip, which was about a 5 mile point to point trip. The canoe company drops you off, and you kayak back to your car. All the while, you are paddling through narrow cypress forest which gradually opens up to a broader river by the time you make it all the way to the end. I left my name with the canoe company, and told them to expect me around 9am on Saturday.
Saturday morning, I woke up around 7AM, made some coffee and oatmeal, read some more of my book, organized camp, and slowly got ready to head out. Around 8:30, I was ready to go. I quickly drove over to the bathhouse to brush my teeth and use the restroom, and then headed into Snow Hill – about 10 minutes from camp - where Pocomoke River Canoe Company is located. Parking in the parking lot around 9AM, I gathered my supplies and walked into the store. I checked in with the very kind gentleman, who I think was the same one I spoke to the morning before – paid my tab, grabbed a lifejacket, and hopped in the drivers seat of the 15-passenger van that would take me to my destination.
I was the only person at that time and had the van to just myself and the driver. We both wore masks, talked about how crazy the last nearly 2 years have been, and about 15 minutes later arrived at the drop off. The drop off was on the side of a small country road. The van parks in a small median, and the driver and I each grabbed one end of my kayak and walked it down to the waters edge. I grabbed my stuff, got my paddle and life jacket, and hopped into the kayak. With a quick push off, I was in the water, and on my way.
They say the trip is supposed to take around 2.5 hours. I started out quite slow, as I was busy looking around. The river is very narrow at the start, maybe 30 feet across, and a dense forest of cypress trees. You have to duck under some tree branches and navigate around others that have fallen into the water. It makes the first part fun and exciting, but I imagine a bit daunting for an absolute novice kayaker. The water is barely flowing here though, so you can go as fast or as slow as you’d like.
I paddled on, took a bunch of pictures, stopped to just soak in the experience, and every so often to just rest up. I passed a few fishermen on motorboats along the way, but for the most part, I was all on my own. It was blissful.
Apparently I kayak very quickly, because in 1 hour 40 minutes, I was already back at the dock. I was pulled out, and the staff joked that I probably set a record for speed this season on the water. Oops – so much for taking it easy I guess!
Part II: Wandering
After kayaking, I wandered around Snow Hill. It’s a small town with just a few shops. That morning, the Salisbury Sea Gull Century was passing through Snow Hill – a 100 mile bike ride put on by Salisbury University. Most of the riders were through town by the time I was done with my kayak trip, but a few stragglers were still coming through, and the band playing at the rest stop in town was still going strong.
I grabbed a pastry from the local bakery along with a large coffee, and walked around a little bit more, before heading back to my car. It was only around 12pm at this point, and I didn’t have any other plans for the day. I drove back to the campground and sat around for a bit, before deciding to look at a map and find somewhere nearby to hike.
I ended up choosing the Algonquin Cross County Trail, a 12.5 mile trail that runs through Chesapeake Forest and Pocomoke State Forest, near the Milburn Landing campground. I wish I had chosen somewhere else to hike, but hey – you win some you lose some. I drove to a midway point on the trail where the map showed parking. It was off a dirt road, and I was the only person around. I started walking along the trail, and quickly realized not too many people hike on this trail because it was full of spider webs crossing the trail. Thank goodness the dirt road I parked in went parallel to the trail, because halfway through my 1 mile total hike, I bailed on the trail and just walked back to my car on the road. Too many spiders, too much anxiety.
The universe told me I should just go back to camp. So that’s what I did. I stayed at camp reading my book until around 4:15, when I started to feel antsy and like I wanted to move again. I decided to treat myself to dinner in Snow Hill at a cute restaurant I saw, Oaked 110 Whiskey and Wine Bar. I arrive around 4:30, but being the anxious person I am, waited in the car until I saw some other people show up for dinner, so I wasn’t the first on the patio.
Sitting down for dinner around 4:50, I had a nice and relaxing time. Around 6pm the live band started playing in the courtyard, and I had a drink and listened to the music for a little while. I left around 6:30, and got back to camp around 7 (after sitting in my car charging my phone and listening to more of the music for a little while at the restaurant).
I quickly cleaned up at camp, crawled into my tent, and read my book until around midnight. I slept a lot better Saturday night.
Sunday, October 10
I slept until 7:30AM, rolled out of bed, and somewhat hurriedly got ready, because I knew rain was in the forecast. I packed up my stuff, rolled up my tent, and got everything in the car except my coffee maker, my camp chair, and my book. I had around 50 pages left to read, and wasn’t going to leave camp until the book was done. I finished my book, then wanted to spend a short time wandering a little more. There was a little side trail next to my camping area, which I passed on my way to the bath house. I poked around, and was pleasantly surprised at the beauty. I should have worn different shoes than flip flops though :)
I ended up pulling out of camp around 10AM and drove home.
It was a lovely weekend. I highly recommend for anyone looking for a lazy weekend at a campground, or anyone super in to kayaking or fishing from a boat!