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Mallows Bay, Nanjemoy, MD

Photo: F Delventhal from Outside Washington, D.C., US, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & OutdoorsOutdoor AdventureHistory BuffLocal Gem

Mallows Bay

Paddle a kayak among the hulls of more than 100 World War I wooden steamships, the Ghost Fleet sunk in a quiet Potomac River bay.

Mallows Bay Park, 1440 Wilson Landing Road, Nanjemoy, MD · Nanjemoy, MD

About Mallows Bay

Mallows Bay holds the remains of more than 100 wooden steamships built for World War I, towed here in 1925 and burned after their salvage company went bankrupt. The hulls now form reefs for fish and birds, and the bay is part of a national marine sanctuary on the Potomac. Access is through Mallows Bay Park, which has a boat ramp and a 0.8-mile loop trail. Come at low tide to see the most wreckage, and skip inflatable kayaks and paddleboards because of submerged hazards.

  • #kayaking
  • #shipwrecks
  • #ghost fleet
  • #national marine sanctuary
  • #potomac river

What's around here?

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