Flag Ponds Nature Park has a variety of terrain on over 500 acres that is great for family exploration.
Quick Look at Flag Pond Nature Park
Address: 1525 Flag Ponds Parkway Lusby, MD 20657
Website: calvertparks.org
Admission: Admission Fees – cash only. April – October: $5.00 for in-county residents $8.00 for non-residents
Hours: Summer hours Memorial Day – Labor Day, Monday through Friday: 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
Parking: Free
Pets: Dogs allowed on a leash.
From the parking lot, it is an easy stroller and wheelchair accessible half-mile walk through the woods to a wide, sandy beach. Trails on either side of the beach wander past two different ponds, a patch of paw paw trees and a historic fishing shack that helps tell the story of an industry long gone.
Visit the Beach
You might spot people walking along the shoreline with strange scooper looking contraptions with very long handles. They are looking for sharks’ teeth and other Miocene fossils. There are bits of shells all along the beach that are fun to look through. Your patience could be rewarded with a nice find, or wade into the water a bit and try your hand at shifting through the sand.
The beach is also a very beautiful place to sit, relax and enjoy being near the water. Bonus points for the restrooms and outdoor shower on the boardwalk near the beach. Wash off the sand, grime and sweat before getting back into your car.
History of the Park
During the first half of the 1900s Flag Ponds was a major “pound-net” fishery. Pound nets are a series of fences in the water that funnel fish towards the shore so that they can be more easily caught. Croaker, trout and herring were caught there and shipped to markets all the way to Baltimore.
The little shack you see is a replica of one of three houses that fishermen lived in during the fishing season. It was known as “Buoy Hotel,” and you can take a peek in the windows to see how the fishermen lived while they stayed there. Various artifacts line the perimeter of the shack and will give you an idea of the tools and methods that fishermen used.
Explore the Trails
Accessed from the path to the beach, the Duncan’s Pond Trail leads to an observation blind and deck where many different bird species can often be observed. From the observation blind you can take the North Ridge Trail which wraps through the woods
away from the beach. This path is not stroller accessible and has a completely different feel than the beach area. Keep your eyes out for turtles and other wildlife who eat the pawpaws that ripen in the early fall.
Looking for more fun parks to explore? See our collection of Park Spotlights for great places to experience nature.