On the wide-open waters of the Chesapeake Bay, it can be easy to forget that our state estuary is actually the outpouring of the great Susquehanna River. Running from New York through Pennsylvania to Maryland, this ancient waterway was created at the end of the last Ice Age as the earth warmed and melting glaciers carved out the majestic river valley. Eventually, the Susquehannock Native Americans would call these waters home, with some evidence of their existence still surviving on the rocks of the riverbed. The best way to experience the Chesapeake headwaters, which provide nearly half of the brackish bay’s fresh water, is to launch a kayak, canoe, or boat from Susquehanna State Park in nearby Havre de Grace and explore the shorelines and multiple uninhabited islands, said to have once been visited by Captain John Smith. Back on the mainland, quiet trails also offer a respite in the deep woods, with popular mountain biking paths and scenic river views.

Go Fish With a state fishing license, anglers can catch a bounty of fins here come fall, from rockfish and catfish to carp and perch.

NATIVE LAND

Not long ago, the Susquehanna River was riddled with Native American petroglyphs, most of which have been archeologically preserved in museum collections or submerged by the river’s multiple dams. But across the Pennsylvania line into Lancaster County, one series of nationally protected examples still exists in the wild at the Big and Little Indian Rocks in Conestoga. Take the extra hour’s drive with a water vessel to witness this prehistoric art for yourself.

WORTH A DAM

There’s plenty not to like about the Conowingo Dam, especially after the recent releases following heavy rainfall that have forced Pennsylvania’s trash into the Chesapeake Bay. But we can forgive them their sins this time of year, when the dam’s overlook affords some awesome views of bald eagles swooping down to catch southbound fish.