Wye Island

Wye Island Natural Resources Management Area is a working landscape as well as an outdoor destination. Maryland manages approximately 2,450 acres of the 2,800-acre island for natural resources, recreation and agriculture. The visitor address is 632 Wye Island Road, Queenstown.

Choose a trail

The state’s six-mile trail system includes School House Woods Nature Trail and Ferry Landing Trail. The latter is known for its Osage orange canopy. Consult the trail information for permitted uses and seasonal conditions; horse access varies by trail.

Water access and shared land

At Granary Creek Picnic Area, a soft launch serves nonmotorized boats. Parking at the launch is limited, with an additional small lot about a quarter-mile away. Roadside parking is prohibited, so unloading and parking need to be part of the outing plan.

The area’s rules prohibit swimming from the shoreline, require dogs to be leashed and direct visitors to stay out of crop fields. Those distinctions matter in a place where wildlife habitat, farming and recreation share the same island. Select a particular trail or launch before arriving, and leave the agricultural areas to their working use.