Pocomoke State Forest
Pocomoke River State Forest and Park provides 17,676 acres for exploring stands of loblolly pine, cypress swamps, and the beauty of the Pocomoke River, a major Eastern Shore tributary. The Pocomoke (which means "black water" for the stream tinted by tannins leached from fallen leaves) originates in the Great Cypress Swamp in Delaware and flows southwesterly 45 miles to the Chesapeake Bay.
The state forest and park offer a great variety of plant and animal life, including white dogwood and pink laurel in the spring, river otters and bald eagles, and over 50 species of fish. The two major use areas, Shad Landing and Milburn Landing, provide starting points for canoeing, boating, fishing and hiking.
Pocomoke State Forest Pocomoke State Forest has a very small remnant area of Old Growth Forest approximately 5 acres in size. The goal on PSF is to expand Old Growth Forest by connecting a series of forest stands identified as “nearly old growth forest”.
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Nearby Places
At the Site
Activities to do
Facilities/Amenities available
Hours
The forest is accessible from sunrise to sunset.
(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
There are no entrance fees. There are fees for use of campsites and other selected facilities.
Activities
Pocomoke River State Park offers boat launch, boat rental, camp fire programs, camp sites, park store, dump station, food & beverage, fishing, flat water canoeing, hiking trails, electrical hook ups, picnic areas, playgrounds, picnic shelters, swimming pool, and nature center.
Nearby Gateways Nassawango Creek Preserve/Furnace Town and Sturgis Memorial Park can be reached from the park by water.
Additionally, there are numerous opportunities for hunting deer, turkey, forest game and ducks in Pocomoke River State Forest.
History
Before the establishment of the State Forest much of the land had been cleared for farming or used as farm woodlots. When the depression era hit many of the farmers fell on hard times, resulting in the acquisition of large amounts of land by the Federal Government. In the mid to late 1930's, two Civilian Conservation Camps were located on the Forest. The camp workers did considerable road and trail work, established boundary lines, provided for fire protection and suppression, planted trees and performed recreation improvements at Milburn Landing. At this same time the State was purchasing lands for management activities. In 1954, the Federal Government deeded its holdings to the State. In 1964, the Milburn Landing and Shad Landing areas were separated from the Forest and developed for intensive recreational use as State Parks. The State continues to purchase in-holdings and other ecologically important areas along the Pocomoke River.
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