Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is an outdoor activity in Cambridge, MD, part of the Ocean City & the Delmarva Beaches guide. Cost: under $25. Wildlife Drive closes some days for deer management hunts (Oct 22-23 and Dec 4, 2026; Jan 8, 2027).

2145 Key Wallace Dr · Cambridge, MD

Why you should go…

Blackwater covers more than 28,000 acres of tidal marsh, forest and water south of Cambridge, and it hosts one of the highest concentrations of nesting bald eagles on the Atlantic coast. The paved Wildlife Drive follows the Blackwater River, and you can add hiking trails and 17 miles of paddling trails. In winter the marshes fill with thousands of geese and ducks. About half the refuge lies within the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument, and the visitor center shows a live eagle cam.

#wildlife refuge
#bald eagles
#birding
#scenic drive
#paddling

What's around here?

The closest stops to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Sightseeing
History Buff
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park
Free
Learn Harriet Tubman's story at a visitor center with exhibits and a film, set in the Dorchester County landscape where she was born.
1.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Sightseeing
History Buff
Dorchester County
Free
Maryland's Eastern Shore county centered on Cambridge and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway.
8.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Shopping
Local Gem
Bay Country Antiques
Free
A family-owned antiques shop on Dorchester Avenue in Cambridge, Maryland, selling antique and vintage furniture and collectibles.
8.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping
Sport & Outdoor
Local Gem
Delaware Botanic Gardens
Under $25
A coastal Delaware botanic garden with a large native-meadow planting and woodland trails near Dagsboro.
48 mi awayMore like this
Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor Adventure
Assateague Island National Seashore
$25–$50
Watch wild horses graze the marshes and beach on a 37-mile barrier island with camping, beach walks and nature trails.
54 mi awayMore like this
Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor Adventure
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
Under $25
Watch Chincoteague ponies graze in the salt marsh, look for shorebirds and walk an undeveloped Atlantic beach.
55 mi awayMore like this