Paddle Dundee Creek

Follow the main entrance road down and to the right of the nature center to a turn around loop, where a car can be temporarily parked to unload/load boats onto the pier. You can launch canoes and kayaks on the end of the pier which goes directly out to Dundee Creek. From the launch site, paddlers can either go left, past the Osprey nesting platform and towards the top of the creek and marsh, or right towards the mouth of the creek and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay. The trip can be as short or as long as you like, although I usually get my fill covering about a mile and a half on the water. I typically go out towards the mouth (right) first, because if there are any tough paddling conditions, that is where they'll be found. Plus, If you're going out around sunset (which can be spectacular), you can head west into the pinks and purples of a Chesapeake Bay dusk on your way back in. Head up and around the eastern shoreline (opposite the boat launch) and into small inlets where you're likely to see Great Blue Herons fishing for White Perch, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, and others. The deciduous trees on the shores have been good for sighting Bald Eagles. The summer months can be great for observing the resident Ospreys as they dramatically dive into the water to fish for their young (don't get too close to their nest, the adults can be a bit aggressive towards strangers). The area around the walking bridge beyond the Osprey nest has a substantial Sub-Aquatic-Vegetation community, and is usually a good place to look for turtles or muskrats.

Public beaches on the eastern shoreline are a part of Gunpowder State Park, and are great resting spots to pull up for lunch, or a cool-down swim.

If you do plan on returning at or around sunrise, consider leaving the car parked just outside the gates of the nature center to avoid getting stuck in when the gatekeeper locks up at sundown.

Tides are hardly limiting in summer months but can be influential on boating conditions in spring and autumn. Check Saltwatertides.com (North Point) for a tide forecast just to be safe.