Celebrating over 350 Years of Tradition
Exploring Smith Island by Kayak
Exploring Smith Island by Kayak
Though best known as a watermen's community, Smith Island is also a paddler's paradise for day or over-night trips. The meandering creeks or "guts" through the island's 8,000 acres of marsh provide extensive paddling opportunities close to three island villages where paddlers can feast on fresh crab cakes and the island's trademark nine layer cake.
As the hub of this country's soft shell crab industry, the island from May through September is bustling with crab boats, crab picking and tending to the soft sheel crustaceans in the crabber's shanties. The shallow waters surrounding Smith Island are also a fishing haven for herons, egrets, ibis, osprey and pelicans. Paddlers frequently see them diving and stalking, their elegant silhouettes reflected in the water. Early morning or evening paddles are ideal for catching rockfish, experiencing the extensive bird life, or watching the light change on the water. Located 9 miles off of Crisfield, Maryland, in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay, Smith Island's marshy archipelago has preserved an extraordinary natural environment and island culture.
Once home to 800 residents, Smith Island now has approximately 200 year round residents, spread among the villages of Ewell, Rhodes Point and Tylerton.