Downs Park Launch*  (Anne Arundel County, MD)

FIG. 1 View of the Downs Park Launch from the fishing pier
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Directions: Get on Md Rt 100 East. You can pick up Rt 100 from any of
I95, the bw parkway (Rt 295) or I 97. Follow Md Rt 100 East to an end
at Rt 177 Mountain road. Make a right onto 177 and travel 2.7 miles
and bear left onto Pinehurst Drive. After 0.4 miles on Pinehurst Drive,
make a right into the park entrance. Pay the $5 toll at the toll booth
and tell the attendant that you want to launch a windsurfer. The
attendant will likely tell you to proceed to the Fernwood pavilion
parking lot and a ranger will meet you. The Fernwood pavilion parking
lot is 0.5 miles down the main road and on the right.  Downs Park
 is item #4 on this AA Cty map

*Launch is closed on Tuesdays

Either the attendant at the toll booth or the ranger will require you to
 fill out a registration form linking you to your parked vehicle in the
event that your car is still in the park after closing.

The Fernwood Pavilion parking lot is a U-shaped one-way parking lot.
Proceed around the bend of the U and park on the second side of the U.

There is a several hundred foot distance from the parking lot and the
launch. The launch is actually behind the pavilion itself, but the Ranger
does not want people walking through the pavilion if it is being used.
To get to the launch, follow the paved path starting from the side of
the U that you parked (the second side). The path approaches the
water and then splits. To the left, the path goes to the fishing pier,
and to the right, the path continues parallel to the water. Bear right
and follow until the sandy beach becomes visible. The sandy beach
is the launch.

FIG. 2 View of walkway to the launch from the Fernwood Pavilion
parking lot

The launch faces East into a wide expanse of the Chesapeake where
the Craig Hill Channel marker is visible. Therefore, any wind absent a
west in it would work best.

I have noticed that there is a large number of buoys in the water near
the launch. These buoys are attached to crab pots via ropes. The ranger
I spoke with indicated that many of the buoys are in water at arm pit
height, with the crab pots extending up to the knees for an average 5'10"
man. That leaves a 2 or 3 foot gap between the water surface and
the tops of the crab pots. So, maybe long fins only will make contact?
Anyway, beware of the large number of buoys in the water.

I have noticed, in addition to the large number of buoys in the water, the
launch area is somewhat congested on a weekend with people walking by etc.

FIG. 3 Close up view of the sandy launch @ Downs Park looking South
to view a land photo:   if browser is Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), use "control =" to zoom in by hitting the "=" key while
the ctrl key is depressed.  To zoom back out, use "control -".  If browser is Netscape or Firefox, simply right click on the
photo and then select "View Image")

FIG. 4 Aerial view of Directions to the Downs Park Launch

Downs Park is closed on Tuesdays.