Kayaking & Winery at Leonardtown, MD - Rentals Available
Details
This event is Day 2 of our kayaking adventures on the scenic water trails in St. Mary's County. On Sunday, we'll follow the McIntosh Run water trail through a nature preserve to Leonardtown Wharf and Breton Bay. When we return, we can enjoy some local wines at the Port of Leonardtown Winery. The winery is conveniently located right next to the kayak launch ramp where our paddle starts and ends.
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The Paddle on McIntosh Run
We'll meet at the kayak ramp in the Port of Leonardtown Park, a developing public recreation area intended to promote kayaking and local wines. Bring your own boat and gear, or reserve a rental from Patuxent Adventure Center. Our group then heads out on the McIntosh Run water trail that begins at the park and winds its way through woods and tidal marshes to the new Leonardtown Wharf waterfront area. We can land our kayaks there and walk into town for food and drinks at one of the restaurants.
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McIntosh Run is a narrow nature trail in shallow water passing through the 58-acre Forest Interior Dwelling Species Habitat that's home to bald eagles, Baltimore orioles, wild turkeys, and many other birds. Nearing Leonardtown, we'll enter the more expansive waters of Breton Bay and stay near shore for safety and comfort. After paddling around the Leonardtown area, we'll return to our starting point by the same path. This is an easy paddle through protected areas and along the shoreline around Leonardtown.
Full details about our paddle, directions to the beginning and ending locations, a map of the route, and what to expect can be found in the excellent descriptive water trails brochure posted online by St. Mary's County. The McIntosh Run Trail trip we're taking is No. 2 on the map. Check it out:
http://www.visitstmarysmd.com/docs/WaterTrailsBrochure.pdf
The total paddle will be approximately 7-8 miles and should take about 4 hours. Our group will follow the water trail and avoid open water, so anyone who is comfortable being in a kayak on a creek or small river should do fine. You must be able to control your kayak and paddle for a few hours. Nothing really difficult, but it does require some effort. As a group, we stay together and look out for each other while paddling, but please be aware that we aren't certified professional experts at rescuing novice paddlers.
Kayak Rentals
You can bring your own kayak or rent one from Patuxent Adventure Center, which is a popular outfitter in the St. Mary's area. Patuxent Adventure Center routinely rents boats for the McIntosh Run paddle. They will meet us at the Port of Leonardtown Park boat ramp with the rental kayaks. Since this is an up and back trip, you can return your kayak to the outfitter at the same place after our paddle.
Patuxent Adventure Center rents high-quality Current Designs kayaks with a life vest and paddle at $25 for two hours, and $5 for each additional hour.
IF YOU NEED A RENTAL KAYAK, YOU MUST RESERVE ONE IN ADVANCE WITH PATUXENT ADVENTURE CENTER BY FILLING OUT THEIR ONLINE RESERVATION FORM BELOW BEFORE FRIDAY.
Choose the McIntosh Run paddle at 11:00 AM.
http://www.paxadventure.com/ReserveRental.html
If you don't, you won't have a boat because Patuxent Adventure Center won't bring a kayak and gear for you.
Full details about Patuxent Adventure Center are here:
http://www.paxadventure.com/index.html
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Port of Leonardtown Winery
When our paddle is finished, we can visit the Port of Leonardtown Winery right next to the kayak ramp where our cars are parked. This is a winery cooperative sponsored by Leonardtown that features a number of small local winemakers selling their products in a single location. You can check out the winery details here:
http://portofleonardtownwinery.com/
So let's try some St. Mary's wine and relax after our day's excursion. Although a winery located by a public park kayak ramp is not the most bucolic setting, it's certainly an interesting and encouraging sign that Leonardtown knows how to attract visitors who enjoy a good time. As for the wine, the customer reviews I've seen are generally positive. And you can take home a nice reminder bottle of your fun day in St. Mary's County...
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Lodging and Dining
Some of us will be staying overnight near St. Mary's to make it a full weekend getaway. After much research, I've discovered there aren't many attractive options for hotels, cottages, or camping in St. Mary's County.
The best option for me is Hampton Inn in Lexington Park. I'll be staying there Friday and Saturday nights. Check it out here:
If you want to stay elsewhere in that area, you can check out what's available with a Google or Tripadvisor search.
As for dining and drinking options, here is the list of Leonardtown restaurants I found on Yelp. A good option seems to be the Olde Town Pub that has a good bar and food vibe.
http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=&find_loc=Leonardtown%2C+MD&ns=1&ls=3e60f99f1200b4d4
Meetup Details
As this is an outdoor event that depends upon good kayaking weather to succeed, you should check here on Sunday morning if the weather looks doubtful. We won't paddle in unsafe conditions. I'll post an update before 9 am if we need to change plans or cancel.
Call Jake at 703-798-8435 with any questions. I hope to see you there.
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