While the Potomac River certainly is part of the Chesapeake Bay in a geographical sense, once you cruise past the St. Marys and Wicomico rivers, it takes on its own unique personality, making it much like that of a true inland river such as the Ohio or Upper Hudson. And perhaps it’s this unique quasi-freshwater personality that creates a small disconnect between the Chesapeake Bay-proper and places like Colonial Beach, Woodbridge, and Alexandria in Virginia, and Washington, D.C. farther up. But it’s that same personality that also makes the Potomac a great place to explore by boat.

Sunset over the DC skyline as seen from the Potomac River  

The Potomac River gets its start in West Virginia, flowing about 405 miles to its confluence with the Chesapeake Bay at Point Lookout. Along the way, the Potomac can look like Class V rapids, an idyllic meandering trout stream, an urban river, or wide-open bay.

The spelling of the river’s name has been abridged over the centuries from "Patawomeke" as Captain John Smith named it, to “Patowmac,” and finally, Potomac. It is the fourth largest river on the Atlantic Coast and between its small, remote, waterside fishing towns to big cities like Alexandria and Washington, D.C., more than five million people live in the river’s watershed.

Before you head for the Potomac River from any part of the Bay, though, you should be prepared to travel long distances and be somewhat self-reliant in the lower stretches, as ports can be spaced far apart. Make sure you have adequate fuel, provisions, and spare parts, as well as a working VHF radio in case you need to call for assistance. Finding transient slips can be a challenge in some places, so you should be prepared to anchor out for the night, perhaps half the evenings on your cruise.

The mouth of the Potomac River can be quite an unnerving place in the wrong weather conditions, especially when wind meets tide. Check weather and winds before you go. To do a proper job exploring the navigable Potomac, you should try to allot at least five days for your cruise, though you could easily spend a week or more exploring the many ports, parks, and cities. The ports we mention are primarily guidelines to help you progress up the river in a timely fashion, but they certainly aren’t the only ones on the Potomac worth exploring—you’ll find many rivers and creeks with great facilities and towns.

Day One: St. Marys River (NOAA Chart 12233)

Keeping the aforementioned weather forecasting in mind, there are two major land points you will need to clear when you enter the Potomac River. From the south, you’ll want to give Smith Point Light (flashes white every 10 seconds, 52 feet high) a wide berth as you shoot toward the river’s center, which is marked by red and white Morse buoy “A.” This mark also happens to be southwest of Point Lookout—the northern Potomac entry point.

Heading for the St. Marys River from red and white Morse buoy “A,” you’ll want to shoot for flashing red (2 + 1), red and green buoy “SM” southeast of St. George Island. St. George Island does not have any transient facilities to speak of, but you can drop the hook in St. George Creek between flashing green “3” and flashing green “4” in 13 to 14 feet of water. The entrance to St. George Creek is a bit tricky, so you’ll want to keep an eye on the depth sounder on the way in.  

Farther up the St. Marys, though, are the river’s main attractions—Historic St. Marys City and St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The two sit tucked just behind unmarked Church Point about six miles upriver. While St. Mary’s College does provide some short-term (two hour) dockage, most cruisers anchor here in Horseshoe bend in 15- to 18-foot depths. Here you can dinghy ashore to the college or to Historic St. Mary’s City where you can explore a myriad of living exhibits on the fourth English settlement in North America. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (800) 762-1634 or visitstmaryscity.org for more details.  

Colonial Beach, VA, A great spot for lounging and summer sunning! Image courtesy of the Town of Colonial Beach, taken by Karen Payne

Day Two: Colonial Beach (NOAA Chart 12286 and 12287)

About a 30-mile run upriver sits Colonial Beach on the Virginia side and Cobb Island and the Wicomico on the Maryland side. The only navigation items of note heading upriver are Ragged Point off Coles Neck (marked by a 44-foot-high flashing white light) and St. Clements Island near the mouth of St. Clements Bay and marked by red nun buoy “14” and red and white Morse A buoy “C.”

The uninhabited island is a state park and marks the site of the March 25, 1634 landing of Maryland's first colonists. There is a dinghy dock or beach here for boaters interested in visiting. You can’t miss the island; it is marked by a huge white cross. Upriver, the town of Colonial Beach becomes visible to the west past Popes Creek.

Though Mattox and Monroe creeks share a common entrance, the main action is in Monroe Creek, and this is where you’ll find the Colonial Beach-proper. If you’re low on fuel, this is a great place to stop before making the trek farther upriver past the Harry Nice Bridge. Flashing green “1” marks the common entrance to the creeks. Once you’re there, head north toward quick flashing red “4” at the mouth of Monroe Creek at Sebastian and Gum Bat points, where you’ll find five- to six-foot depths in the main channel.

If you’re looking for a place to tie up for the night, consider Colonial Beach Yacht Center (this is where the aforementioned fuel stop is), Stanford’s Marine Railway, Winkie Doodle Point Marina, or the Nightingale Motel and Marina. While Colonial Beach Yacht Center has the most transient space, the others will do their best to make room for you when they can. If you want to anchor out for the evening, space is tight, but you can find decent depths at red daybeacons “10” and “12” south of Robins Grove Point. Ashore in Colonial beach are restaurants, shops, municipal pier, boardwalk, grocery and convenience stores, a museum, and more. It’s a great walking town and good place to explore some local history while you wind through the old Victorian homes.

On the other side of the Potomac (northeast from Colonial Beach) are Cobb Island and the Wicomico River. Here you can find a crab house with marina (Captain John’s) and a seafood restaurant (Shymansky’s), which both sell fuel and have transient marinas. The Wicomico River is an excellent river to explore and anchor out.

Days Three and Four: Middle Potomac River (NOAA Charts 12286 and 12288)

There are about 63 miles between Colonial Beach and Alexandria, VA, so the next leg of the cruise can have a number of different end destinations, depending on how fast your boat is and your endurance. But before you set out to head farther upriver, keep in mind that you will need to give the three charted magenta danger lines around Dahlgren Naval Surface Weapons Center on the Virginia side of the river a wide berth. You can hear announcements and warnings about the base’s firing activities on VHF Channel 16, but generally speaking, the charted “Middle Danger Zone” is the one that’s active most weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Mount Vernon, President George Washington's plantation overlooking the Potomac River. The site is located eith miles osuth of Washington, D.C. and is visitable by boat. Photo by David Samuel

Once past the Harry Nice Bridge, which carries U.S. Route 301 traffic back and forth across the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia, the passage broadens up at Mathias Point and the Port Tobacco River. There is a state park at Chapel Point on the Tobacco River, and a marina and restaurant about three or so miles upriver. Once around Mathias Point, keep an eye out for flashing red “6” at Upper Cedar Point near the mouth of Nanjemoy Creek, where you can anchor at the mouth (conditions permitting), and then dinghy upstream to try your luck at catching and killing a Northern snakehead, an invasive species the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is trying to control.

About 11 miles upriver, Potomac Creek will show up in front of you past Maryland Point (Maryland side), where several buoys (green can “19,” flashing green buoy “21,” and a 42-foot-high flashing white tower) mark some shallower mounds in the mid-river section. After you clear the obstacle course of buoys, flashing red “2PC” ushers the way into protected Potomac Creek, where you can anchor in three- to four-foot depths.

Next upriver to the north is Aquia Creek, marked by flashing red “2” where it meets with the Potomac River. A series of quick-flashing lights and daybeacons outline the twisty channel past Brent and Simms points before it opens up into the creek, which has three- to four-foot depths for those who want to anchor (though the creek is somewhat exposed). A fixed railroad bridge with 26 feet of vertical clearance crosses the creek about three miles up where you’ll find Hope Springs Marina and a good fuel stop if your boat is thirsty.

Moving yet farther upriver, look for Mallows Bay (on the east side of the river) at red nun buoy “40,” just past Liverpool Point. Here you may see the hulks of more than 230 ships that were sunk there over the years; it is a popular spot for folks with canoes and kayaks and another spot to score an elusive snakehead or largemouth bass, if you are so inclined.

North past Quantico, don’t be alarmed when you see the 70-foot-high overhead cables that cross from Moss Point to the Virginia side of the river. Slightly upriver is Mattawoman Creek, which has a state park with limited facilities, but a nice, secluded anchorage near Grinders Wharf. Cockpit Point is on the Virginia side, and here you’ll find Tim’s Rivershore Restaurant and Crabhouse, where you can make a pit stop for food, drink, and music.

Occoquan Bay and Belmont Bay are your next watermarks on the Virginia side and are great places to explore before heading to Alexandria or Washington, D.C. Transient slips can be a little difficult to find, bu there are plenty of marinas with all manner of facilities, most with fuel. Flashing red “2” is the unofficial greeting point for Occoquan Bay and marks the start of a relatively straight channel up to Belmont Bay, which starts at Sandy Point and flashing red “6.” Belmont Bay harbor has limited transient slips available just south of flashing red “12,” or you can continue upstream past the set of bridges to Prince William Marine. If you’ve got a canoe, kayak, or dinghy, this is a great place to explore, bird-watch, fish, or just take in the scenery as you recharge for the trip upriver to Alexandria or Washington, D.C.  

The Woodrow Wilson Bridge as shot form National Harbor at dusk. Photo Courtesy of the Virginia Department of Transportation

Alexandria and Washington, D.C. (NOAA Charts 12288 and 12289)

Alexandria and Washington, D.C., are the proverbial pot full of gold at the end of your five-day rainbow, and some people might even allow two days out of five to better explore both cities in depth. Once you’ve left your last stop in the Middle Potomac area, the river takes on a “taller/narrower” look much like the Hudson River in New York, and while there is generally plenty of depth outside the channel, it’s a safer bet to heed the marks.

About 12 miles upriver from Occoquan Bay, Mount Vernon (President George Washington’s plantation) is open 365 days a year, and if you plan properly there is a small dock that can be reserved by visiting boaters (although most folks anchor in the river and dinghy ashore). Make sure you toll a bell in Washington’s honor before you come ashore, or as you pass by heading upriver. It’s a tradition that dates back to the night of his death.

Up and across river at flashing red “2P” is Piscataway Creek and Fort Washington Marina, where you can grab a bite to eat or have repairs facilitated if you need them. Past Mount Vernon and Piscataway Creek, the river twists and turns a bit before opening up as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge appears on the horizon, carrying traffic back and forth on Interstate 495 between Maryland and Virginia. To starboard before the bridge on the Maryland side heading north is Smoots Cove and the sprawling National Harbor complex. Once the site of the cement factory that supplied the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project, today the area is dominated by an impressive mixed-use site with hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, and, yes, a resort marina that happily accepts transient guests.

To port just past the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (76-foot vertical clearance through the primary span) is Alexandria, where you can spend a day (or many more) exploring shops, restaurants, pubs, and numerous historic sights. Alexandria City Marina has space for transients, and the location is central to many of the Old Town Alexandria attractions you’ll want to explore (including the Torpedo Factory Art Center, Chart House restaurant with a great view of the action, and the King Street corridor) during your visit. As you transit the area, you may notice a constant flow of air traffic flying low overhead. The river is on the approach path to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which is situated about three miles to the north.

You could certainly wrap an entire vacation around visiting Washington D.C. alone, but it also make a nice one- or two-day stop at the end of your trip as well. Almost all of the marinas in Washington are situated on the Washington Channel or Anacostia beyond Hains Point at the bottom of East Potomac Park (green can buoy “1” and red nun buoy “2”). Just east of Greenleaf Point on the Anacostia is James Creek Marina, which has transient slips, gas and diesel fuel, and a ship’s store. North of Greenleaf Point you’ll find Washington Channel and several more marinas that take transient guests including The Capital Yacht Club, Washington Marina Company, and Columbia Island Marina. All of the marinas are within walking distance of the monuments, restaurants, and other attractions, but walking the area at night is not recommended; take a cab instead.

Congratulations, if you made it this far, you’ve explored more of the Potomac than most Bay boaters ever do in a lifetime, and you could certainly spend many more weeks poking around without seeing it all. If you’ve got enough time on your 100-mile return down the river to poke around the Potomac’s twists and curves, we encourage it. Maybe you’ll find some of that Patawomeke history around a corner or two.

by Gary Reich