Kayak Potomac from Aquia Creek to Caledon

Today I'm going to write you a little travel log and hope that it inspires you to go canoe/kayak camping. I just spent two days paddling on the lower Potomac River along the Virginia shore near Fairview beach. I had done this stretch of river before when I paddled the entire length of the tidal Potomac back in 2012. That trip was a fundraiser for Potomac Riverkeeper, 130 miles down the Virginia shore to Smith Point. On that trip, Whit Overstreet and I paddled from The Sycamore Island Canoe Club, above Little Falls, all the way to the mouth of the river on the Virginia side and then we made the 11 mile crossing from Smith Point to Point Lookout.

It was a memorable trip but that was a little much and I swore I would never try that again. I guess I just don't like being that far from the shore with nine-foot swells and cargo ships going by, but on the way I discovered a camping area at Caledon State Park in Virginia. It's sort of near the 301 bridge and it has six campsites that you can reserve. So on this trip I planned a simple overnight, leaving Widewater State Park on the Aquia creek and paddling downstream for 14 miles to Caledon.

It was a nice day but the wind is always stronger out on the water and it never seems to be blowing in your favor. I forgot how much I dislike big swells too. It was five hours of tough paddling. It was a bit nerve wracking in the waves, and very strenuous but I had plenty of snacks and water and no storm clouds on the horizon. My first rest stop was at Fairview beach. It does have a good view, being on the inside of a huge bend in the river. Too bad about all of the giant radars across the river, on the Md. shore. Fairview was quiet while I was there, being a Monday, everything was closed, but it was a nice break to sit beside Tim's II where I had been 8 years ago.

I hugged the Virginia shore, creeping my way downstream. I probably could have saved some distance by going out in the middle of the river, point to point, but the waves got bigger the further out that I went. Plus, it's more interesting along the shore with lots to see. Strangely, my GPS said the I was now heading due north, even though I was heading south when I started.

I arrived at the campground only an hour before dark so I had to hustle to get everything set up. The awesome thing was that I was the only one there, had the whole place to myself! I could have run around naked except that it was freezing cold and the wind was blowing a steady 15 mph. I had to toughen up quick, it was the coldest I'd been since February! I was so glad that I brought my new nano puff jacket from Patagonia. I was pretty tired after dinner and I didn't bother to start a fire but I did walk around and explore the other campsites.

Weather conditions had not changed over night and I had a much better idea of how long it would take me to get back. I did decide to make a change in my return route. Instead of going back to Aquia Creek, I would turn in at Potomac Creek and travel up Accokeek Creek to Crows nest State Park. This would make my return trip 2 miles shorter and give me a chance to explore the marshes along Accokeek. Luckily I had just enough cell phone coverage to call of Mary to change my pick up point. Mary was so nice to help out. One problem I ran into was that there was no obvious place to leave a vehicle overnight. Mary agreed to drop me and she stayed at Prince William state Park, which was her first time there and she loved camping there.

I wanted to hike around Caledon State Park that morning but I couldn't relax enough to do it, knowing that I had a five hour paddle ahead of me. I wanted to get out on the water, just in case the weather turned inhospitable. I packed up and was out of there by 10 am. I was now going upstream, but heading south, with the sun rising on my left, so weird.

I passed a sunken hull of a ship. It looked just like all of those sunken boats at Mallows bay. Who knew that there were old ships on the Virginia side too? I made more stops on my return trip but I was still left wishing I had more time to explore. The air was warming up but the wind was still pretty steady from the north. I didn't stop in Fairview on the way home and I was happy to get to the relative calmer waters of Potomac and Accokeek creek. The tides had not been a big issue to that point but I was glad that the tide was shifting and going in my direction up the creek.

Paddling up the small, marshy, Accokeek Creek was my favorite part of the trip. So much more relaxed than out on the big windy river. It was three miles up the creek from the mouth to the take-out ramp at Crows Nest State Park. I wished I had taken a picture of the take-out ramp, I know all you Club kayakers would envy this deluxe ramp for kayaks. The ramp had rollers and railings on both sides so all I had to do was to pull myself up the rollers and my fully loaded kayak was high and dry and I simply stepped out onto the dry dock. Amazing!

I was early for our rendezvous, so while I waited for Mary I had time to take a walk along the trails of the marsh, and to carry my kayak and other gear down the very long boardwalk to the parking lot. Feeling tired, but content.