Janes Island State Park
Janes Island State Park encompasses 2,900 acres of Chesapeake Bay marsh, beach, and highland, and is bordered on the west by Tangier Sound.
The park is dissected by many small waterways, with 30 miles of trails marked for canoes and kayaks. The park and the Tangier Sound region are the habitat for abundant waterfowl and other birds, as well as fish and shellfish populations.
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Related Trip Ideas
- A Camping/Paddling Adventure on Janes Island
- Top Paddling Trips on the Lower Shore
- Camping in Maryland State Parks
- Jeff Holland
Nearby Places
At the Site
Activities to do
Facilities/Amenities available
Hours
9 a.m. to Sunset. Lifeguards are on duty 10 am. to 5 p.m., Memorial Day to Labor Day.
(Note: Many places fill to capacity on busy, nice weather days, especially holiday weekends. Please call ahead or visit the official website to get the most up-to-date information before visiting.)
Fees
No fee for day use.
Campsite: $21.49
Campsite with electric: $27.49
Youth Group Campsites: $11.75 per night with Maryland Youth Group Pass
Camper cabin: $55.49
Full-service cabins: $86.75 (6 person capacity)
(Full service cabins year-round. Contact park office for reservations.)
Shelter: $56.75
Base rate does not include transaction or other applicable fees
Daugherty Creek Conference Center:
Daugherty Creek Conference Center year-round. Contact the park office for reservations.
Daily use:
$85 for up to 5 hours; $200 for full day (12 hours); Overnights: $275 for first night: $200 for each additional night. When reserving the Conference Center for a 7-night stay, the last night is free: seven (7) nights for the price of six (6). ) Daytime use capacity: 65; overnight capacity: 16
Boat Launch Charges:
$7/vehicle; out-of-state residents $9/vehicle.
Activities
Programming at the park's nature center provides visitors with a look at the human, cultural, and natural resource stories of the Eastern Shore's Tangier Sound. Activities include fishing, crabbing, flat water canoeing and kayaking trips, guided hunting and birdwatching, and camp fire programs. The beach area is only accessible by boat.
On-line camping and over-night reservations are available through the park's website.
History
At the time of Captain John Smith’s Chesapeake Bay voyages, the inhabitants of the land near present-day Janes Island State Park were American Indians of the Accohannock or Annemessex Nation.
Their settlements likely consisted of houses scattered in fields and in groves of older trees, and they would have been difficult to see from the water.
Because these communities were likely camouflaged from Smith’s view, and because he wanted to sail further up the Bay, Smith did not explore this area extensively.
However, he noted that the broad, low marshlands would be a “good place to cut hay in summer and to catch fish and fowl in winter.”
Weather
