Sandy Point State Park

Sandy Point State Park

Main park area: 1100 East College Parkway, Annapolis, MD 21409
Corcoran Woods: ~1374 Tydings Road, Annapolis, MD 21409
(410) 974-2149

Sandy Point State Park occupies a strategic position on a point of land just north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, on the Western Shore of the Bay. Sandy Point boasts outstanding views of the Bay and has good pockets of habitat scattered throughout the park. With 844 acres, the park is compact enough to cover well on foot. An iconic feature of the park is the view of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from the South Beach area of the park.

With 299 species as of March 2022, Sandy Point State Park holds the #2 rank among eBird hotspots across Maryland. It is the premier winter birding spot on the upper Western Shore of the Bay, and is known for its diving ducks, gulls, and occasional winter songbird rarities. Habitats include sandy beach, stone jetties, mowed fields, woodlands, ponds, and marshes. Places to check for birds include the marina area; the Symbi Nature Trail (shown in green on the trail map at link at left), accessed from the large picnic area between the entry station and the marina; service roads located north of the entry station (shown in yellow on the trail map); the South Beach area, including the sandy beach itself, the vegetation near the Bathhouse, and the South Jetty – good for Snow Buntings in some winters, as well as shorebirds; the Blue Crab Trail from South Beach to East Beach (shown in orange on the trail map), which goes through wet woods and across a marsh; and East Beach, including the grassy fields, sandy beach, and jetties.  Be sure to check for rails and other marshland birds at the marsh that lies behind a dense hedgerow along the north edge of the East Beach pavilion area.

Be sure to scope the water for all manner of water birds in winter. Don’t forget to check the jetties for gulls. Some winters, Northern Gannets come up the Bay as far as the Bay Bridge; they especially like to hang out on the south side of the Bridge on the far side of the Bay. Check the metal struts under the Bat Bridge for Peregrine Falcons and check for Peregrines on the upper railings on the Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse, visible from the Point and from East Beach. The concrete piers of the Bay Bridge are likely to be festooned with Double-crested Cormorants in winter, as well as large numbers of gulls.

Sandy Point State Park includes a seldom-visited nature preserve known as the Corcoran Woods Environmental Study Area, located at the far northwest end of the park.  Corcoran Woods has about four miles of hiking trails (see trail map at the link at left). Corcoran Woods can offer a respite from the summer crowds at Sandy Point.  The Corcoran Woods Environmental Study Area has been undergoing an environmental restoration that has resulted in some clearing of non-native invasive vegetation; the area will be re-planted with native species. Corcoran Woods can be reached on foot by taking the Broadneck Trail (shown in red on the trail map), which goes northwest out of the main part of the park, past the Park Maintenance Building, and then continues to the southeast corner of Corcoran Woods. Or you can drive to Corcoran Woods, which requires leaving the main part of Sandy Point State Park; see directions below and trail maps at right.

There are extensive visitor amenities in the main part of the park, and the park may fill up on summer weekends and holidays, with additional visitors turned away, so plan accordingly.

Birdlife:

Wheelchair Access:

Sandy Point State Park offers handicapped-accessible food and beverage concessions, fishing and crabbing, picnic areas, shelters, bathhouses, sailing concessions, and playgrounds. There is good unobstructed viewing from the parking lot at South Point, enabling birding from or near the car. The Corcoran Woods Environmental Study Area is not wheelchair-accessible; the trails are all natural surface with exposed roots and rocks as well as wet areas.

Pet Policy:

Pets are permitted on leash in the main part of the park from October 1 through April 30; pick up after your pet. Pets are not permitted in the main part of the park between May 1 and September 30. ◾Pets are permitted on leash in Corcoran Woods year-round.

Special Designations:

Sandy Point State Park is a part of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network of the National Park Service.

Special Features:

The main part of the park has extensive visitor amenities. A Nature Center near the marina offers educational programs in the summer months. The park also offers a marina with store, bathhouses, snackbar (seasonal), fishing and crabbing, car-top boat launch, restrooms, picnic pavilions, picnic tables, grills, seasonal swimming with guarded beaches, youth group camping, and a number of large-scale special events, such as a Blues Festival. ◾  Local conservationist and tree expert Colby Rucker, who passed away in 2004, wrote Corcoran Woods: Tree Heights and Forest Structure (2002), which may be of interest to naturalists.

The local chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society is the Anne Arundel Bird Club, which offers field trips and meetings with informative programs, all free and open to the public.

Multimedia:

• To read a first-hand account of a wintertime walk through Corcoran Woods, see “A walk in Corcoran Woods is a stroll among giants” by Jeff Holland, a columnist for the Capital Gazette. Jeff’s weekly column features walks in parks and natural areas in Anne Arundel County. He has served as the director of the Annapolis Maritime Museum and as the West and Rhode Riverkeeper.
• A YouTube video posted by José Vloggero, a private citizen, is notable because the narration is entirely in Spanish. In this 5-minute video, José takes us on a tour of some of the visitor amenities in Sandy Point State Park. Even if you don’t speak Spanish, the video will give you a good idea of what this park looks like.
  Un video de YouTube subido por José Vloggero, un ciudadano particular, se destaca porque la narración es totalidad en español. En este video de 5 minutos, José nos lleva a un recorrido por algunos de los servicios para visitantes en el Parque Estatal Sandy Point. Aunque no hables español, el video te dará una buena idea de cómo es este parque.

Parking:

Ample paved parking lots throughout the park. See trail map at link at left. Do not park along roadways.

Directions:

Sandy Point State Park is located east of Annapolis, on the north side of US Route 50/301 and at the west end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Corcoran Woods is a short distance away, in an adjoining residential area.

To reach the main part of Sandy Point State Park:

From Annapolis and points west: Take US Route 50 toward the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Just before the toll lanes for the bridge, take Exit 32 for Oceanic Drive and make a left at the end of the exit ramp to go north on State Park Road, passing over US Route 50, toward the park. At the first intersection after the overpass, turn right onto South Beach Road, and stay straight to enter the main part of the park.

From Kent Island and the Eastern Shore: Take US Route 50 over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. There are no tolls in this direction. Take Exit 32 (first exit immediately after the bridge) for Oceanic Drive and make a left at the end of the exit ramp to go north on State Park Road toward the park. Make an immediate right at the first intersection onto South Beach Road, and stay straight to enter the main part of the park.

To reach the Corcoran Woods tract of Sandy Point State Park: From either westbound or eastbound US Route 50, use Exit 32 as described above and go north on State Park Road toward the main part of the park, but instead of turning right onto South Beach Road, turn LEFT onto East College Parkway, and then an immediate right to go north on Log Inn Road. In about half-a-mile, at an intersection, Log Inn Road turns right (east), but continue straight ahead onto Tydings Road. A parking area is on the right (east side of road) in about 0.2 miles. Another extremely tiny parking area that can hold two cars is across the road on the left side, but it’s very tight and difficult to turn around in that space. There are trailheads for Corcoran Woods on both sides of Tydings Road. In addition, there is a second parking area on the section of Log Inn Road that goes east; to reach the second parking area when coming from East College Parkway, follow Log Inn Road when it bends to the right; the parking area will be on your right in 0.3 miles, just before a lane to the right (Sandy Road) that is the entrance to the Broadneck Wastewater Treatment Plant. The second parking area is a handy spot if you want to hike the Broadneck Trail into the main section of the park. See trail map at the link at left.

Nearby Sites:

Anne Arundel County: Davidsonville Park ◾ Downs Memorial Park ◾ Fort Smallwood Park ◾ Greenbury Point◾ Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary ◾ Kinder Farm Park ◾ Lake Waterford Park ◾ Mandares Creek MOS Sanctuary ◾ Oxbow Natural Area ◾ Patuxent Research Refuge – North Tract ◾ Piney Orchard Nature Preserve◾ Quiet Waters Park ◾  Smithsonian Environmental Research Center ◾ Swan Creek Wetlands | Cox Creek Dredged Material Containment Facility

Queen Anne’s County (these sites are on Kent Island, on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge):  Ferry Point Park ◾ Matapeake Clubhouse & Beach / Matapeake Fishing Pier & Boat Ramp ◾ Terrapin Nature Park

Habitats:

Bottomland DeciduousConifersHedgerowsUpland Deciduous Lawn, Ballfields, Golf Course Hay Meadows, Pasture, Grass FieldOld Fields, Shrubby MeadowsSandy Beach or Dunes Forested SwampFreshwater Marsh or FloodplainFreshwater Pond, Lake, or ReservoirJetties & SeawallsMud Flats (Tidal or Non-Tidal)Open Ocean, Bay, or EstuaryRivers & Streams

Features:

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