What is Paddle to the Bay?

Each year, the Anacostia Watershed Society sponsors a 120-mile paddling & camping expedition along the length of the Anacostia River, down the Potomac and into the Chesapeake Bay. In the past, the trip has begun in either Bladensburg, Maryland, or at the Anacostia Community Boathouse in Washington, D.C. The final day culminates in an invigorating paddle to the mouth of the Potomac River at Point Lookout, MD.

Paddle to the Bay 2008 starts on June 2, 2008!

Click here to read more about Paddle to the Bay 2008!

Click here for highlights from Paddle to the Bay 2007!

Click here for highlights from Paddle to the Bay 2006!

Check out the New York Times
feature on Paddle to the Bay 2007! Click here for the article.

To reserve a space for Paddle to the Bay 2009, call AWS at 301-699-6204!

The Paddle to the Bay expedition is sea kayaking trip designed to highlight the connection between the urban Anacostia River and the impact that its polluted condition has upon the Chesapeake Bay. The paddle also provides a good opportunity to remind the people of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region that incredible outdoor adventures are waiting to be had just outside the back door of our nation's capital city. PTTB participants get to experience gorgeous landscapes and breathtaking vistas around each bend in these beautiful rivers.

Each year, our intrepid group of paddlers ply the waters of the Anacostia and the Potomac carrying a 6 day supply of food and water; as well as camping gear and clothing for their journey. The expedition covers about 20 miles a day for a total 120 miles by the end of the trip at Point Lookout State Park at the mouth of the Potomac on the Chesapeake Bay.  Each night, the paddlers stop at pull-out points along the shoreline in Maryland and pitch tents the water’s edge. Evenings are spent preparing and communal meal and sharing experiences from the daylight hours.

The Anacostia and Potomac Rivers are surprisingly wild and beautiful waterways. Each day on the water brings a new challenge and new sights to behold!

To view pictures from previous PTTB outings, click here.

Experience the History of the Chesapeake Watershed!

Paddle to the Bay allows its participants to travel through some of the rich history of our nation's early years. The expedition not only floats by George Washington's Mt. Vernon home, it passes near many of the important Native American village sites that Captain John Smith and his compatriots from Colonial Jamestown stopped at during their explorations of the Chesapeake Bay in 1608. The PTTB group also makes camp for a night at St. Clements Island State Park. Accessible only by boat, St. Clements was the first landing site for English settlers taking up residence in North America in 1634 under the proprietorship of Cecilius Calvert, Second Lord Baltimore and Founder of the Maryland Colony under King Charles I of England.

Much of the route followed by the Paddle to the Bay expedition will be incorporated into the first National Historic Water Trail in the United States. This all-water route encompassing most of the Chesapeake Bay will be known as the Captain John Smith Chesapeake Historic Trail in honor of the explorer's many contributions to the early history of European settlement in North America. The new water trail will be dedicated in 2008 marking the 400th anniversary of Smith's travels. Coincidentally, the 2008 Paddle to the Bay will start on June 2, the same day Captain Smith set out from Jamestown on his own expedition to the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers in 1608.

Preparing for Paddle to the Bay

A list of required and recommended gear and supplies for Paddle to the Bay participants is available in PDF format. Click here to review this document.

The Anacostia Watershed Society holds a series of paddling trials prior to the actual expedition in order to generate interest in the trip and provide paddlers with a sense of what to expect on these waters. The trials also keep our staff informed of the skill-level and abilities of each potential paddler.

While there is no set fee for this experience, each paddler joining AWS for Paddle to the Bay is expected to supply her/his own kayaking gear, food, water, and camping supplies. Water can be replenished at our campsites each night. All participants also will be asked to make a tax-deductible donation to AWS in order cover staff costs and fees associated with the trip. The suggested donation for PTTB in 2008 was $400.00 per paddler.

For more information, contact Robert Boone or Jim Connolly at 301-699-6204, or send e-mail to info@anacostiaws.org.

There is real natural beauty waiting to be discovered in the backyard of our nation's capital. The Anacostia and Potomac Rivers still offer glimpses of a natural world that Captain John Smith saw during his Chesapeake explorations in 1608.

While most of the day is spent in quiet contemplation paddling down river during Paddle to the Bay, evenings are spent preparing a communal meal, sharing experiences around a campfire and sleeping under a starlit sky.

Sunset at St. Clements Island, first landing site for English settlers establishing the colony of Maryland in 1634. Paddlers camp on this island, now a State park, overnight. The route followed by Paddle to the Bay is rich in early American history.

Wildlife, like this osprey perched on a nesting platform, is abundant on the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers despite problems with pollution. PTTB participants are likely to see not only osprey, but turtles, beaver, sea birds, multiple species of fish, and upwards of 18 to 20 bald eagles.

 

To learn more about the Anacostia Watershed Society, click here.

To become a member of the Anacostia Watershed Society, click here.

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