The Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway offers an epic journey through an unspoiled landscape that has shaped the lifestyles and livelihoods of generations of Watermen, shipbuilders, and farmers. This largely unchanged landscape makes it easy for visitors to imagine earlier times when goods were shipped to Baltimore in wooden barrels aboard schooners. The byway acts as a destination unto itself— it is the best way to travel through the extraordinary landscapes and waterscapes of the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The byway experience stretches from its upper Eastern Shore terminus – the picturesque Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to its lower shore recreational terminus at Smith Island.

Federal Highway Administration, America’s Byways
Length
419 mi / 674.3 km
Time to allow
Two to three hours to drive, two to three days to visit the entire byway
Fees
No fees to drive the byway

Who looks after this road

  • Chesapeake Country National Scenic Byway Alliance · 410-438-3679
  • Kent County Tourism Development Office · 410-778-0416 · their site
  • Queen Anne's County Office of Tourism · 410-604-2100, 888-400-7787 · their site

We publish 3 places that sit on this road, listed in the order you meet them. This is not a route and not a drive time — it is the names, so you can put them into whatever navigation you already use.

“Off” is a straight line from the place to the road, rounded. It is not a driving distance, and the road itself is a simplified centre line, so treat a mile or two as noise.

  1. AnnapolisMD9 miles off

    In our guide: 1 park

  2. Sandy Point State ParkMD6 miles off

    No guide of our own yet — the name is here so you can find it.

  3. Lums PondDE5 miles offLake

    impoundment

    Boating
    Boat ramp; bring your own (motor rules not verified)
    Fishing
    yes - largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass, pickerel, crappie, catfish, carp; fishing pier
    Camping
    RV (full hookup) and tent sites; online reservations up to 1 year ahead
    Cost
    $5/day DE vehicle; $10/day non-DE