Flag Ponds Nature Park
Lusby, MD
★★★★★
4.6(5 reviews)Amenities Overview
🏊Swimming
🎣Fishing
⛺Camping
🅿️Parking
♿Accessible
About Flag Ponds Nature Park
Escape to Flag Ponds Nature Park, a 500-acre haven nestled near Lusby, Maryland, where the Chesapeake Bay meets tranquil nature. Located at 1525 Flag Ponds Pkwy, Lusby, MD 20657, this highly-rated park (4.6 stars!) offers a fantastic day out for the whole family. Imagine yourself relaxing on the sandy beach, the gentle waves of the Bay lapping at your feet. Or perhaps you'd prefer to cast a line from the convenient fishing pier – you're likely to have good luck, as many visitors report successful fishing trips.
The park offers plenty of picnic areas, perfect for a leisurely lunch surrounded by natural beauty. They also frequently host nature programs, a great way to learn about the local ecosystem and wildlife. While camping may be available (check their website for current options), you can certainly expect to find parking. The park also strives to be accessible to visitors of all abilities; specific accessibility features should be confirmed directly with the park.
Recent visitors rave about the park's cleanliness and the overall peaceful atmosphere. One five-star review highlighted the beauty of the bay views and the fun their family had swimming and playing on the beach. Another five-star review mentioned the well-maintained facilities and the overall relaxing experience, perfect for a family getaway or a quiet day out.
Whether you're looking for a fun day of swimming, a relaxing fishing trip, or simply a peaceful escape to nature, Flag Ponds Nature Park is a wonderful choice. Come experience the charm of the Chesapeake Bay and the inviting atmosphere of this highly-rated park for yourself!
Detailed Information
Fishing
- Facilities: pier, fishing pier, bank
Swimming
- Water Conditions: clean
- Facilities: beach
- Facilities: platform
- Facilities: pier
Reviews
- ★★★★★over 1 year agoI’m from Florida and this is one of my favorite beaches I’ve ever been to. It’s very clean, not at all crowded when we went during the middle of the day on a weekend, and just a ton of shells on the shore to walk along and pick through. My wife even found a shark tooth on our walk, so highly recommend if you like looking for shells and teeth! The park doesn’t just have a beach, though, so if you’re looking for some beautiful forest to hike through there are several miles of trail within as well. We didn’t get a chance to try them out as we spent all our time at the beach, but they looked like a good time. It was also a very good price. If you’re from the same county it’s discounted, but even still it wasn’t much per car.
- ★★★★★over 1 year agoAfter a nature walk down, a well maintained half mile walk we arrived at a perfect beach over looking the Chesapeake bay. Our grandson loved it, of course we did too! He enjoyed the water. We walked the shore searching for sharks' teeth and fossils. He even saw a "pirate ship"! Hopefully, on his list of great memories!
- ★★★★★over 1 year agoAbsolutely beautiful beach with a shorter walk to the water than at Calvert Cliffs. I also found a piece of fosilized coral just walking along the beach. I will definitely go back.
- ★★★★★9 months agoAlways an amazing time at Flag Ponds! Great little hike (.75mile) to the beach and easy enough for the whole family to do it. Water was cold, but tons of fun to hunt around for shark teeth and fossils. Always fun!
- ★★★★★over 2 years agoFor those living at the southern tip of Calvert County, there are many options for those looking to spend a day among nature and wildlife or perhaps to savor a family picnic with the potential of setting a blanket down over some fossils or shark teeth. Flag Ponds Nature Park is no exception to the parcels of wonder available to us. I visited with my wife and children on Father's Day to soak up the opportunity to take in some natural beauty and make the most of family time. Entering the park, local visitors are prompted to donate $5 to support the park's maintenance, with an additional $10 being requested from non-local visitors. For those that visit the park on foot or bicycles, the price is reduced to $2 with an option to purchase an annual pass for $30 for local visitors or $50 for non-local visitors. Leaving the parking lot and the rustic visitors center, we were met with several trails of varying duration and complexity, offering unique opportunities to explore the nature park from the ridge line to the beachfront. This ensures that visitors can take away something different on each visit. Naturally, one of the park's main attractions is the expansive beachfront at the end of the main trail. Combining sandbanks, estuaries, views of the wooded Calvert Cliffs, an observation platform, fossil-soaked sands, and open access to the Chesapeake Bay, the beach is ideally suited for those looking to spend a day at the beach with their family or those looking to briefly cool their feet in the brisk water before continuing their hike. I had tried my best to do a little of both, allowing my son to splash his feet in the water and find a pretty shell (which would inevitably find its way into his mouth) before heading back along the trails. For those that are more interested in the history of the local area will find entertainment in the recreated shanty structure known as the 'Buoy Hotel' that offers an interactive insight into the commercial fishing industry that existed throughout the first half of the 20th century. During my visit, I had fulfilled my fatherly duties in reading every sign I could find, poking my head through the structure's windows, and digesting each fact I could use to bore my family on the path back toward the visitors' center. I had noticed that those with limited mobility could benefit from accessible parking scattered along the main trail enabling access to the shoreline and eliminating the steep and potentially unstable footpaths leading down to the beach. Overall, I found the nature park a fantastic choice to spend a Father's Day, having been offered a little of everything that the park has to offer, from wildlife, diverse ranges of flora, spectacular cliffside views, and an opportunity to give my children something like a beach day only a few miles from home.