If there is one experience that Laurel can promote above all others, it is the opportunity to explore by kayak, canoe and stand-up paddleboard (SUP). There is one opportunity coming up in April with a Spring Birding Weekend that includes canoe and kayak trips at Trap and Trussum Ponds.
For beginners who may need a “Bunny Slope” experience, you can start on the gentle waters at Trap Pond or one of the nine other mill ponds within the 10-mile radius of The Ramble. After learning the basics of paddle safety, you can graduate to a paddling experience on Broad Creek from The Ramble to Ed Koch Park (Portsville) near Bethel or all the way to Phillips Landing at the Nanticoke River.
For the expert distance paddler, you can advance to a “Black Diamond” experience and continue on the Nanticoke to Seaford and Blades, or explore the waters known to both Captain John Smith and Harriet Tubman all the way to the Chesapeake Bay.
Reimagine Laurel will be working with paddling outfitters to design experiences for all levels of expertise. Paddling tourists can be shuttled to and from launch sites, or start their journey at the new Rotary kayak launch on Broad Creek by boat, and return to The Ramble by bike. They can finish the paddle and pedal adventure on the deck at Abbott’s with a pint of craft beer and a 5-star meal. No other town on Delmarva can provide this experience!
Our goal is for Laurel to be known as a “Paddler’s Trail Town” by creating water trails connecting Laurel to surrounding nature and heritage tourism assets. The new Rotary kayak launch at The Ramble is a good first step to lure paddlers, but trail maps and marketing of a “Cypress Paddling Trail” could transform the town into a must-visit installation for the burgeoning mid-Atlantic paddling crowd. The addition of paddling and cycling trails that traverse both the town and Trap Pond could prove lucrative given the number of people that visit Trap Pond every year.
To help kickstart the Paddler’s Trail Town initiative, Reimagine Laurel is planning a new Delmarva Paddling Weekend with our new sister Trail Town, Snow Hill, MD. Both towns will serve as hubs for kayak, canoe and SUP adventures for beginners and experts. Details will be available soon, and registrations will open June 1. For now, save the date for Sept. 30 – Oct. 2!
Contributed by Jim Rapp.
