Truxton Park, MD
See yachts and waterfront homes. You can also continue paddling into Spa Creek, go past Annapolis city dock and Navel Academy into the Severn River or Chesapeake Bay. From US Rt 50, take MD Rt 2 south. Head east on Frost Drive (MD Rt 655). Go left on Spa Road and take a quick turn to the east onto Hill Top Road. The park will be on your left. Drive past tennis courts and turn left (north) on Primrose Road. Keep left and the road will end at a boat launch. You can also paddle down Spa Creek past the city dock and the Navel Academy into the Severn River.

Galesville Beach, MD
See boat marinas, islands, interesting shoreline. You can also paddle to the Chesapeake Bay. From Annapolis, take MD Rt 2 south. Turn left (east) on MD Rt 255 towards Galesville. Follow road until it ends in a "T" intersection. Public parking, fine dining, and beach launch.

Patuxent River, Upper Marlboro, MD
Small county launch with good access to upper tidal Patuxent. Can paddle down river to Jug Bay. From the DC Beltway, take MD Rt 4 south. After passing US Rt 301, you come to the Patuxent River bridge. The launch site is on a side road on the northeast side of the bridge.

Wye Island, MD
Wye Island on the Eastern Shore offers a twelve mile circumnavigation. It has lots of varieties of water from protected areas to areas exposed to the Chesapeake Bay weather. Launch from the marina at Wye Maryland and choose to paddle clockwise or counter clockwise around the Island. Locate and use a chart of the area. It is easy to take a wrong turn or simply loose your bearings. This is also the home of the Wye Island Regatta, a race for fast paddlers in October every year.

Mallows Bay, MD
A shallow bay on the Maryland side of the Potomac River which holds the ancient hulks of hundreds of World War I Era ships. See our description of launch sites for this location in our Favorite Paddling Put-Ins Section.

Virginia

VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Public Boat Access

Fountainhead Regional Park

Lake Ridge Park

Leesylvania State Park

Mason Neck State Park

Occoquan Regional Park

Pohick Bay Regional Park

Five launch sites located on the Virginia side of the Potomac River from Alexandria south to Mount Vernon. -- Courtesy of Chris Conklin

Columbia Island Marina: Located just east of the Pentagon. The marina has replaced its mechanical boat-lift with a concrete ramp. In season the launch fee is $5.00. I am not sure about fees for hand-launched craft. Also for the desperate, in the parking lot you can bank launch from a somewhat steep and shore bank.

Alexandria Schools Rowing Facility: Located at the eastern foot of Madison Pl. on the north side of the Alexandria waterfront, there is a small sandy spot on the south side of the building. You can park at the park just west of the facility and do a short carry. A little further around the building you can carry down the ramp to the floating dock. I checked with a school security guard and he knew of no launching restriction (of course this is unofficial). Needless to say please do not interfere with the rowing operations.

Windhill Park Dog Exercise Area: The old Alexandria Marina is located on Alexandria south shoreline just north of Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The harbor basin has been made into a park. On the south side of the old basin at the eastern foot of Gibbon Street is a small park dedicated as a dog exercise area. It is a short to moderate carry on a gravel path from the street parking to a sand/gravel beach.

GW Parkway Turnout At River Farm Road: Located 1.5 miles north of the Mount Vernon rotary on the GW Parkway. This small riverside picnic area has a rock shore but there is good sandy beaches a short carry both on the upriver and down riversides. I talked with a NPS Park Ranger and he knew of no restrictions on launching but here again this is “Unofficial.” I do plan to follow up with a talk with his supervisor, as I wish to clarify access to a number of sites.

Collingwood Park: Located about 1.5 miles further north from the River Farm Road Turnout is Collingwood Park. It is a moderate downhill carry from the parking area down to the shoreline. The beach is a narrow sand/gravel beach and there is a low bluff with moderate rock riprap ravines to negotiate. The park does have primitive restrooms.

More sites by Barbara: Craig Interactive, DTLink, Sway.