If you’ve tried to secure a last-minute camping spot or head out for a day hike on the weekend, you know that use of outdoor spaces has increased tremendously in the past two years.  The packed parking lots, the overflowing trash cans, the fully booked campgrounds, not to mention litter and human waste, overcrowding and damaged trails are all signs of this increase in use. 

So here in the mid-Atlantic region we are truly blessed with lots of opportunities for paddling—canoes, kayaks, and stand up paddleboards—from whitewater adventures to lazy rivers to seemingly endless tidal creeks and embayments.  With so many choices, where do you start to figure out where to take your next paddling trip, be it for several hours or multiple days?