Prospect Bay (Kent Island) in Maryland

Trip Overview

Prospect Bay is a large body of water just south of Kent Narrows. A variety of environments are viewable on this trip including hardwood forests, marshes and sandy beaches.

Putting in at the boat ramp on Goodhands Creek we paddled out to Prospect Bay. There is a small island (Hog Island) at the mouth of the creek which was mainly marsh. From there we headed south along the western shore of Prospect Bay, south towards Parsons Island.

Kirwan Creek was a short distance south and was a quiet creek with hardwood forests along it's shores. We suspected there were eagles in some of the large trees, but only saw one later in the day. On two occasions while exploring small coves we spooked deer who were laying in the tall grass along the shoreline. We also paddled through a large group of small turtles.

The paddling along the shoreline was easy and it's approximately 4 miles to Parson's Island. We deliberately made this trip on a weekday since we know there is heavy boat traffic through this area on weekends. There were a number of nice beach areas for putting ashore. An additional plus was the bottom is sandy in most areas and since it was 90 degrees we appreciated the opportunity to get out and swim. This is still too early in the season for the jellyfish that eventually populate the bay waters.

We chose not to circumvent Parson's Island although as long as it's not windy that should be a relatively easy paddle. This was a nice day trip for a weekday.

Accommodations:

Plenty of everything on Rt. 50.

Fees:

Queen Anne's County requires a parking permit for all boat ramps and tickets those without a permit. We purchased a yearly permit at Angler's Sport Center just west of the Bay Bridge.

Directions:

Eastbound on Rt. 50 from Annapolis drive across the Bay Bridge to Exit 39B, MD Rt. 522. Drive south less than 1 mile and turn left onto Goodhands Creek Rd. which deadends at the boat ramp.

Resources:

"Sea Kayaking MD's Chesapeake Bay"