Bike trails on the way to Delmarva

by Dave Wilson. (Wilson is the public outreach coordinator for the Maryland Coastal Bays Program.)

Bicyclists around the shore will soon have access to a network of trails— ranging from 8-1,000 miles— through every county on the peninsula.

To help promote low-impact nature tourism, Delmarva Low-Impact Tourism (DLITE) is working to create a Delmarva Biking Trails map, originally envisioned by the Delmarva Advisory Council some five years ago. DLITE took over the project this year.

To expedite the process, DLITE has formed the “Delmarva Alliance for Bicycling” to help seek members to fund the ambitious $30,000 project. Connecting over 70 wildlife havens, the stops along the way include the Bombay Hook, Prime Hook, Blackwater and Chincoteague wildlife refuges, Assateague Island, Pocomoke River State Forest, Deal Island, 15 state parks, and 25 wildlife management areas.

All told, the trails cover more than 2,000 miles of rural roads through cypress swamp, upland, tidal marsh and coastal plain forest. Each county in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia will have its own set of trails called miniroutes. Capable cyclists will be able to take a primary route from the C & D Canal down the rural roads on the east side of the peninsula to Cape Charles and back up the west side through the extensive marshes and forests along the Chesapeake. Weekend warriors can try the county routes which range from 8-30 miles. All routes are fit for road bikes as well as mountain bikes.

On the backside of the map is information on points of cultural interest, birding sites, cycling safety, crabbing, clamming, and fishing spots, and kayaking trails.

A coalition of the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia Tourism departments, the Nature Conservancy, Salisbury Zoo, the National Park Service, Rural Development Center and the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, DLITE was formed to promote sustainable tourism through the creation of biking, hiking, kayaking and birding trails throughout the peninsula.

A kayaking trail from northern Assateague Island to Chincoteague, Virginia will soon follow. The unspoiled route will include an offshoot around the E.A. Vaughn Wildlife Management Area in southern Worcester County. Last year, Maryland Senators Barbara Mikulski (D) and Paul Sarbanes (D) helped secure $150,000 in federal funds to kick start the trails projects.

The money will also be used to train providers and hoteliers to aid them in achieving low-impact standards.

The biking map is due out in April. Updates on the DLITE cycling project can be found at www.delmarvalite.org.