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Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum1📷 miketnorton, CC BY 2.0

Road trips in Maryland

8 road trips and 14 hand-picked places in Maryland, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping.

Trip guides
8
Places
14

Campsites in Maryland 220

Trip guides

Road trips through Maryland

Chesapeake Bay: Annapolis to Blackwater – Keck Center of the National Academies© AgnosticPreachersKid · CC BY-SA 3.0
50
Things to do in…

Chesapeake Bay: Annapolis to Blackwater

69 mi9 stops3 days
Western Maryland: Antietam, the C&O Canal and Swallow Falls – Antietam National Battlefield Summer 2025© Ctrzdrmom · CC BY-SA 4.0
68
Things to do in…

Western Maryland: Antietam, the C&O Canal and Swallow Falls

144 mi7 stops3 days
Canal locks, battlefields and steam on the mountain – up the Potomac by camper from Great Falls to Cumberland – Creek Running Under a Bridge in Cunningham Falls State Park (45458697391)© John Brighenti from Rockville, MD, United States · CC BY 2.0
68
In-depth road trip guides

Canal locks, battlefields and steam on the mountain – up the Potomac by camper from Great Falls to Cumberland

194 mi14 stops6 days
Wild ponies, a bridge-tunnel and oyster boats – by camper from the Colonial Parkway across the Eastern Shore to Annapolis – calm sea under blue sky during daytimePhoto by C Amick on Unsplash
13
In-depth road trip guides

Wild ponies, a bridge-tunnel and oyster boats – by camper from the Colonial Parkway across the Eastern Shore to Annapolis

332 mi12 stops7 days
East Coast curiosities – Wrought Iron Fence of the Gardner-Pingree House© Elizabeth B. Thomsen · CC BY-SA 4.0
9
Themed road trips

East Coast curiosities

467 mi6 stops4 days
Virginia’s Eastern Shore and the Bay Bridge-Tunnel – Assateague lighthouse - panoramio (1)© Ron Shawley · CC BY 3.0
13
Coast & island drives

Virginia’s Eastern Shore and the Bay Bridge-Tunnel

153 mi9 stops3 days
Delaware: Bombay Hook, Dover and the Cape Henlopen beaches – Ardea alba-head© Peterwchen · CC BY-SA 4.0
1
Coast & island drives

Delaware: Bombay Hook, Dover and the Cape Henlopen beaches

125 mi9 stops3 days
Du Pont gardens, migratory birds and bunker towers: by camper through Delaware from the Brandywine Valley to Cape Henlopen and the beaches of Fenwick Island – Swage block - Winterthur Museum and Country Estate - Winterthur DE (7655733008)© Esther Westerveld from Haarlemmermeer, Nederland · CC BY 2.0
1
In-depth road trip guides

Du Pont gardens, migratory birds and bunker towers: by camper through Delaware from the Brandywine Valley to Cape Henlopen and the beaches of Fenwick Island

162 mi16 stops6 days
RouteSuggested daysDistanceDrivingStops
Chesapeake Bay: Annapolis to Blackwater369 mi1 h 14 min9
Western Maryland: Antietam, the C&O Canal and Swallow Falls3144 mi2 h 35 min7
Canal locks, battlefields and steam on the mountain – up the Potomac by camper from Great Falls to Cumberland6194 mi3 h 27 min14
Wild ponies, a bridge-tunnel and oyster boats – by camper from the Colonial Parkway across the Eastern Shore to Annapolis7332 mi5 h 56 min12
East Coast curiosities4467 mi8 h 20 min6
Virginia’s Eastern Shore and the Bay Bridge-Tunnel3153 mi2 h 44 min9
Delaware: Bombay Hook, Dover and the Cape Henlopen beaches3125 mi2 h 14 min9
Du Pont gardens, migratory birds and bunker towers: by camper through Delaware from the Brandywine Valley to Cape Henlopen and the beaches of Fenwick Island6162 mi2 h 53 min16
Editor's picks

Places worth the detour in Maryland

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum1© miketnorton · CC BY 2.0
Editor's pick
History

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

St. Michaels, MD
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge – Blackwater NWR visitors center and grounds - 2© Ser_Amantio_di_Nicolao · CC BY-SA 3.0
Editor's pick
Nature

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Cambridge, MD
Antietam National Battlefield Summer 2025© Ctrzdrmom · CC BY-SA 4.0
Editor's pick
History

Antietam National Battlefield

Sharpsburg, MD
Assateague Island National Seashore – LRWalls - George Washington Purnell House Ext4© Linda Roy Walls · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nature

Assateague Island National Seashore

Berlin, MD
U.S. Naval Academy – 131107-N-PO203-038 (10731382525)© Office of Naval Research from Arlington, United States · CC BY 2.0
History

U.S. Naval Academy

Annapolis, MD
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center – Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad NHP visitors center and grounds - 14© Ser_Amantio_di_Nicolao · CC BY-SA 3.0
History

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center

Church Creek, MD
Fort Frederick State Park – Confederate Cannon Markings - Ft. Frederick State Park - panoramio© subgirl · CC BY-SA 3.0
History

Fort Frederick State Park

Big Pool, MD
Paw Paw Tunnel, C&O Canal – C&O Canal NHP Paw Paw Tunnel Hill Trail Ribbon Cutting (6286325904)© C&O Canal NHP · CC BY-SA 2.0
History

Paw Paw Tunnel, C&O Canal

Paw Paw, MD
Swallow Falls State Park – Lower Swallow Falls (52688730957)© Andrew Parlette from Elkridge,MD, US · CC BY 2.0
Nature

Swallow Falls State Park

Oakland, MD
Fort McHenry National Monument – Fort McHenry 2016 3© Fredlyfish4 · CC BY-SA 4.0
History

Fort McHenry National Monument

Baltimore, MD
Creek Running Under a Bridge in Cunningham Falls State Park (45458697391)© John Brighenti from Rockville, MD, United States · CC BY 2.0
Nature

Cunningham Falls State Park

Thurmont, MD
Ellicott City Historic District – Disney'sTavern c. 1790© Thayer Young · CC BY-SA 4.0
History

Ellicott City Historic District

Ellicott City, MD
Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center – Great Falls - 53494036926© TheTurducken · CC BY 2.0
Nature

Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center

Potomac, MD
2016-07-20 09 24 32 Pond at the head of Grays Creek in Calvert Cliffs State Park, Calvert County, Maryland© Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nature

Calvert Cliffs State Park

Lusby, MD

FAQs

What are the best road trips in Maryland?

Popular routes include Chesapeake Bay: Annapolis to Blackwater, Western Maryland: Antietam, the C&O Canal and Swallow Falls, Canal locks, battlefields and steam on the mountain – up the Potomac by camper from Great Falls to Cumberland and Wild ponies, a bridge-tunnel and oyster boats – by camper from the Colonial Parkway across the Eastern Shore to Annapolis. CampingSpirit has 8 trip guides that pass through Maryland, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map.

Which places in Maryland are worth a detour?

Our editors recommend Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and Antietam National Battlefield.

Nearby

District of Columbia 3Delaware 4Pennsylvania 10Virginia 11New Jersey 5West Virginia 5New York 14Connecticut 4