A four mile paddle on Barren Creek offers a wilderness escape

The headwaters of Barren Creek on Maryland’s Eastern Shore are mostly suburban and often too shallow even for a kayak. But starting at Mardela Springs Park, you can expect a superb 4-mile paddle from the creek down to the Nanticoke River. 

Thanks to a boat ramp and kayak launch operated by Wicomico County Parks and Recreation, accessing Barren Creek in Mardela is a breeze. The boat ramp is 22 feet wide, 40 feet long and has a 14% grade that allows boaters to reach deeper waters. Paddlers can use an ADA compliant, floating dock with a kayak and canoe launch. However, there are no outfitters nearby so visitors need to bring their own vessel. 

Before you start your paddle, consider exploring the town of Mardela Springs. The area was originally home to members of the Nanticoke Indian Tribe, and would later become a 19th century tourist attraction thanks to its mineral spring water. Today, you can visit an 18th century church, heritage museum, the historic spring house or other shops and restaurants in the area. 

Once you’ve got your history fix, head to Mardela Springs Park and launch onto Barren Creek. During the trip, paddlers will weave past farmland, small residential developments, dense forest and end with an expansive marsh before entering the Nanticoke. Along the way, you will likely see a range of plants and animals, from bald eagles and eastern painted turtles to rose mallow and cardinal flower. 

“It feels very much like you are in the wilderness,” said Lisa Wool, director of the Nanticoke Watershed Society. “Every time I go, I see bald eagles, little green herons and tons of other wildlife.”

An outdoor blogger known as the Travel Hag ranked Barren Creek as a top 10 kayak trail on the Eastern Shore. In her review, she writes: “What’s so amazing about this trail?  The seclusion and the diversity in landscape. It starts in a town park, then moves into an agricultural area, then into a forest and finally ends in a salt marsh with wide open skies and incredible light and wildlife.”

Once paddlers reach the Nanticoke, they can turn around and head back to Mardela Springs or continue across the Nanticoke to the town of Vienna. Wool cautions that the tide gets very strong on the Nanticoke. “Make sure you have some gas left in the tank,” she warns. 

Those who brave the river instead of turning back can dismount their kayak at a ramp at Vienna Waterfront Park. Vienna is another quaint town worth exploring, with sites like the early-18th century Handsell House and the Bay Country Shop. 

Thanks to these two public access sites, outdoor enthusiasts have an easy time accessing these fantastic Chesapeake watersheds. Since the 1980s, the Chesapeake Bay Program has championed efforts to provide the public with access to the Bay and its tributaries. The partnership recently completed the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement goal of adding 300 new sites to the Bay watershed, surpassing it by 12. 

Have you paddled Barren Creek or any of the surrounding waters? Let us know about your experience in the comments!