Pocomoke River SP

This past weekend, our Sunday bike ride destination was Pocomoke River State Park located on Maryland's lower eastern shore. The park is well known for cypress swamps that border the Pocomoke River, which originates in the Great Cypress Swamp in Delaware and flows southwesterly 45 miles to the Chesapeake Bay. 

This state park is within Pocomoke State Forest on the banks of the Pocomoke River between Snow Hill and Pocomoke City in Worcester County, MD. The park is divided into two areas, Shad Landing (544 acres) on the south bank of the river off Rte 113, and Milburn Landing (370 acres) on the north bank on Rte 364. The Shad Landing area was historically important in a chain of refuges for runaway slaves seeking freedom in the north.

We cycled on the Shad Landing portion and while there were a number of others folks there, most campsites were empty as the busy summer season hasn't started. The park offers hiking, biking, camping, kayak and canoe rentals, boat launch, picnic areas and shelters, playgrounds, swimming pool, camp store, and a nature center. 

The park's location between northern and southern regions provides a variety of plants, such as dogwood and pink laurel, bald cypress, yellow pond lily, and loblolly pine. 

Wildlife includes otters, prothonotary warblers, pileated woodpeckers, bald eagles, northern water snakes, and red skinks; fish include large mouth bass and pickerel. 

The laurel was in bloom along our ride. However, the most wildlife we saw were squirrels, birds and a red-headed skink seen near a restroom.

The past two weekends have provided perfect weekend bike riding weather, so we're enjoying them before it gets TOO hot.

We hope y'all had a great weekend too.