Located at its confluence with the Nanticoke River at Stump point, the Wicomico River provides a scenic marsh-lined trip some 20 miles north to Salisbury, one of the larger towns on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The mouth is fairly easy to navigate once you’ve cleared the shallows at Great Shoals and there are no bridges to get in your way all the way to Salisbury.

Use NOAA Chart 12261.

The Wicomico River has a controlling depth of 11.5 feet all the way to Salisbury, but the entrance at Monie Bay near Wingate Point cab be tricky. From Tangier Sound, flashing green bell buoy “1” marks the confluence of the Nanticoke and Wicomico rivers. From here, head east toward red nun “2” and flashing red buoy “4.”

The next trick in your trip up the Wicomico is dealing with Great Shoals, which extend southwest from Stump Point. The area is peppered with buoys and lit markers, so one only need heed each and every one of them to make a safe passage through the shoals. This isn’t one of those “tricky” inlets; each mark is very precise and there are no shoals extending into the channel, unlike many Bay locations.

Local Notices to Mariners are now exclusively available online from the U.S. Coast Guard.