Shared by Ralph Heimlich, as Guest Blogger.

Have you ever stayed overnight at a Virginia State Park paddle-in campsite? Luckily for you, Ralph has, and he is sharing his 4-day adventure along the Potomac River as he visited three Virginia State Parks on his paddle trip.

In 2019, I led a series of paddles for the Chesapeake Paddlers Association (CPA) that covered the entire tidal Potomac River from Washington, D.C., to Point Lookout, Maryland. This season, only one paddle I led was as a kayak camper. We originated at the launch on Mallows Bay and touring upriver first to spend the night at the paddle-in campsite at Bushy Point in Leesylvania State Park. From there, we paddled down the river's western shore to overnight at Widewater State Park’s paddle-in campsite.  On the third day, we paddled around the Virginia shoreline of the Potomac’s Great Bend to Caledon State Park before returning to the start at Mallows Bay on Sunday. I was accompanied by four experienced CPA paddlers: Joe Messier, Paul Levine, Lois Wyatt, and Gail Addis. Bob Pullman paddled the Maryland shore with us on the first day out of Mallows Bay.

Day 1: Mallows Bay launch to Leesylvania

Under lowering skies, we loaded our kayaks on a Thursday morning at the Mallows Bay launch, using the low-tide beach to stage and launch our kayaks. Charles County Recreation, Parks and Tourism Department wisely has a process for securing overnight parking permits at this park. I was happy to meet Mallows Bay Park manager Elena Gilroy at the launch as we prepared. She wished us “happy paddling” and assured us the park was closed at night. 

The first thing we encountered during the launch was the “Ghost Fleet” of mostly WWI vintage wooden shipwrecks now protected in the Mallows Bay National Marine Sanctuary. These wooden-hulled steamships were built in a frenzy of activity to provide shipping for America’s WWI war effort, only to be made obsolete before being finished by the Armistice. Not commercially viable, they were salvaged here on the Potomac for their valuable scrap steel in the nails and straps used to hold the planks together. One particularly imposing wreck is the remains of the steel-hulled car ferry Accomack, which once provided transportation between Cape Charles and Norfolk. 

We paddled up the Maryland shore beyond the wrecks and past a large abandoned sand dredge, Chickamuxen Creek, the remains of WWII docks and anchorages used by the Stump Neck Annex, and the mouth of Mattawoman Creek, to make our river crossing to the oil pier at Cockpit Point. Even though the wind was light (less than 10 mph), the large fetch up the Potomac made for 2-3 foot rollers in the main channel of the Potomac as we crossed. 

After about 10 miles, we landed at the Leesylvania State Park paddle-in campsite at Bushy Point, just down Powells Creeks from the RR trestle. We unloaded our heavily-packed kayaks and set up camp in the comfortable tent pads. The duty ranger checked in with us as he ushered the day visitors out of the park, and we soon settled in for a mostly peaceful night only interrupted by the nearby train traffic, a late-night fishing boat off the shore, and a lucky owl shrieking his triumph as he made a nocturnal kill. 

Day 2: Leesylvania to Widewater

After an early start on a brightening morning, we paddled down the western shore of the Potomac, which is far more developed than the opposing Maryland shoreline. In slow succession, we passed the oil pier and asphalt plant at Possum Nose, Dominion Energy’s Possum Point power plant, the towers of the high-tension power lines crossing the Potomac to Maryland, and Quantico Marine Base. While we were paddling by, one of the huge military transport planes took off from the base with a tremendous roar and soared over our heads down the Potomac on a mission somewhere. It was very impressive to witness.

We put in for lunch on a secluded beach just below Quantico, still close enough to the railroad tracks to hear freight trains lumbering by unseen in the woods behind us.

On the afternoon’s paddle, we found another couple of WWI wrecks standing proud of the water surface just below Brent Marsh near the town of Widewater. We stopped briefly at the newly constructed boat ramp in the upriver portion of Widewater State Park, which temporarily closed due to severe silting of the ramp. A small cove is created by turtle rip rap adjacent to the ramp, but no formal kayak launch is planned here.

In the early afternoon, 13.5 miles from our launch, we arrived at Widewater State Park’s welcoming cove and lugged our many dry bags up the winding concrete path to the nicely-groomed paddle-in campsite adjacent to a gleaming bath house. We were welcomed by Ranger Will, who was happy to have us using the site and remembered our previous trip in 2019. He even arranged for a colleague who lived nearby to find a toothbrush for Joe, who had neglected to pack his. Talk about service! We set up camp and enjoyed a restful afternoon, beautiful sunset views from the beach, and a quiet night of sleep. 

Day 3: Widewater to Caledon

Saturday dawned beautifully, and we loaded up and got underway for Caledon State Park, kayaking down past the mouth of Aquia Creek, Potomac Creek, and Fairview Beach's waterfront. We landed at a small beach on the Virginia shore opposite the Maryland Point light platform for a quick lunch, then finished the 14-mile run to Metomkin Point, the location of Caledon's paddle-in campsites. 

I’ve been enjoying these sites since they opened in 2014 (we camped here the night before Governor Terry McAuliffe's official dedication). The sites were unexpectedly busy, with three other sets of campers (no kayakers) sharing camp with us. Sunset was particularly spectacular on Saturday evening, which probably should have been a clue that the weather was changing.

 

Day 4: Caledon to Mallows Bay

We awoke on Sunday, packed up and readied for our second Potomac crossing from Caledon to Riverside, MD. The west wind was on our beam but not strong (about 10 mph). We would paddle into it most of the way back to Mallows Bay as it started in the west and clocked around to the NW. Rounding Maryland Point and the Lions Club Camp Merrick, we started to hit stronger winds. Just about at Thomas Point, near the abandoned Navy radio astronomical satellite dishes, a NOAA weather alert came over the VHS warning of strong winds (34 mph) and high waves due to a passing front. We quickly looked for a suitable beach, but the cliffs along this stretch didn’t give us very good shelter. As the wind rose, we finally found a narrow beach with large rocks that would shelter us from larger waves. It was a bit of a scramble as winds rose to what I estimated to be 25 mph, but we got in and dragged the loaded boats up to the back of the beach and hunkered down. 

NOAA’s small craft warning was expected to last until 9 PM, but the wind had already delayed our return to Mallows quite a bit. I paced the beach, watching for the winds to subside and watching some power boats and a sailboat weather the higher waves out on the river. Finally, after about 45 minutes, things calmed down a bit and we got back on the water. It was a continuing slog back against 15 mph headwinds, but after 15 miles, we at last rounded Liverpool Point and blew into the Mallows Bay landing with the wind at our back (briefly) at 5:30 p.m.

The end of the 4-day tour: kayaking a total of 52.5 miles and camping at 3 Virginia State Parks

Unloading and getting the boats back on vehicles and into dry clothes (we were pretty well soaked after landing and relaunching in waves several times) took another hour. Then we parted ways, tired and happy to have completed our particular Potomac Passage. We had traveled a total of 52.5 miles over four days of kayak touring and camped at three of the premier paddle-in camping spots on this middle stretch of the great Potomac River. 

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Plan your water adventures at a Virginia State Park

A paddle trip on a Virginia waterway is a great way to stay cool and see majestic scenery. Ranger-led paddles are offered at parks seasonally, but be sure to check out the park's web page for more details on upcoming programs and events.

You can log your paddle adventures when you sign up to participate in the Virginia State Park Paddle Quest Program.

Caledon has a music series this summer and other programs for all to enjoy.

Widewater has many programs available this summer for Ranger-led or self-guided activities.

Consider visiting Leesylvania during the week to beat the weekend crowds. This park has programs for people of all ages, and you can rent a picnic shelter to have lunch with a view.

And remember, we love to see you share your adventures, so be sure to tag us on social media using #Vastateparks.