Sandy Point State Park
On this mile-long beach near Annapolis, you can gaze out onto the Chesapeake—and smugly watch traffic crawl on the Bay Bridge heading to and from the ocean. See dnr.maryland.gov. Distance from DC: 40 miles.
Flag Ponds Nature Park
This Southern Maryland beach is nirvana for fossil hunters, who comb the sand and surf for prehistoric sharks’ teeth. Go to calvertparks.org/fpp.html. Distance from DC: 53 miles.
Gunpowder Falls State Park
The park’s Hammer-man Area has a 1,500-foot-long beach along the wide Gunpowder River. The park can reach capacity on weekends and holidays. See dnr.maryland.gov. Distance from DC:56 miles.
Hunting Creek Lake
This 75-acre manmade lake in Maryland’s Cunningham Falls State Park offers two beaches. Take a short hike from South Beach to the park’s 78-foot-high waterfall. See dnr.maryland.gov. Distance from DC:66 miles.
This article appears in the May 2021 issue.
Sherri Dalphonse joined Washingtonian in 1986 as an editorial intern, and worked her way to the top of the masthead when she was named editor-in-chief in 2022. She oversees the magazine’s editorial staff, and guides the magazine’s stories and direction. She lives in DC.
