MD - Choptank River - 2001/06/11

Camping Setup with Mariner Ontop

I left my Bel Air home at 7:00 AM and arrived at Martinak State Park at 10:30 AM. I located a campsite and set up camp. I was on the water by 11:30 for a paddle up the Choptank River to Greensboro. There is a single ramp at Martinak with a concrete slope with piling on both sides. There is a restroom facility with water next to the ramp. The ramp is located on a small creek that runs northwest off of the Choptank River. Martinak is located just a few miles south of Denton Maryland.

Martinak to Denton

I turned the kayak north toward Denton in a moderate southwest breeze a my back. The Choptank at this location as mostly developed with mid sized houses lining both banks. The banks vary from gentle low banks to quite steep 20 to 30 foor banks as the river narrows. At Greensboro there is a very nice area where one can launch from a grassy bank that is right next to the river and quite low. There are protable toilets located here. The return trip was equally straight-forward. I arrived back at Martinak at 4:45 PM. Steady paddling had resulted in an average speed of just under 4 knots. I loaded my kayak and returned to the campsite for a quick dinner. There was a couple with kayaks also paddling the Choptank and about 4 other camping groups but the rest of the $18.00 sites were empty. However, most were reserved for the weekend, so reservations would be appropriate on any summer weekend. For more information see Choptank and Tuckahoe River Guide