Trail Access
The Friends see potential for more safe access from roads and bridges and the potential to expand Corps of Engineer recreation sites in the Chesapeake, and we are working on both.
The Friends is also working with the National Park Service and state agencies to identify and improve access and recreational opportunities along the Capt. John Smith Trail, and advancing legislative initiatives and supporting local organizations to expand new recreational and tourism opportunities in the Bay watershed.
People love to be out on the bay and its rivers.
Sail and power boaters, recreational and commercial fishermen ply the waters. Hunters and birders and families on a camping trip or weekend walks visit the limited number of National Parks and Wildlife Refuges and state and local parks on the bay and in its region.
However, the distribution of access, and therefore the millions of people who use the Bay, is widely uneven and limited by a lack of public recreation areas, beaches, and campsites.
Progress has been made in creating access. Still, significant gaps remain in both the quantity and the quality of public access to the bay and its rivers. Given the public demand, there's great potential to expand public access and recreational opportunities.
