Blue Crab Scenic Byway
Blue Crab Scenic Byway is a State Scenic Byway in Maryland. Within Maryland it covers roughly 200 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Blue Crab Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
The Chesapeake Country Blue Crab Byway runs about 210 miles across Maryland's lower Eastern Shore, from the Nanticoke River near Salisbury south to Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay. The route crosses what locals call Tidewater Maryland: flat farmland breaking into marsh, tidal creeks, and coves, a landscape that has shaped a distinct watermen's culture built around crabbing, oystering, and boatbuilding. Stops include the 200-year-old neoclassical Teackle Mansion in Princess Anne, the Deal Island Wildlife Management Area, and Crisfield, the self-proclaimed 'Crab Capital of the World' and home to the annual Crab Derby. The byway's endpoint at Smith Island — reachable only by boat — is the source of the Maryland state dessert, Smith Island cake, and one of the bay's last inhabited offshore watermen's communities. Bird watching, kayaking, and beachcombing round out a drive built around water rather than the road itself.
- ~210 miles across Maryland's lower Eastern Shore
- Nanticoke River to Smith Island
- Teackle Mansion, Princess Anne
- Deal Island Wildlife Management Area
- Crisfield's annual Crab Derby
- Smith Island, source of Smith Island cake
Plan a drive on Blue Crab Scenic Byway →
What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.
Where to Stay along Blue Crab Scenic Byway
3 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Blue Crab Scenic Byway.
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