Sandy Point State Park
On this mile-long beach near Annapolis, you can gaze out onto the Chesapeake and smugly watch traffic crawl on the Bay Bridge heading to and from the ocean. See dnr.maryland.gov.
Distance from DC: 40 miles.
Flag Ponds Nature Park
Prehistoric sharks’ teeth and other fossils await on the beach at Flag Ponds.
This Southern Maryland beach is nirvana for fossil hunters, who comb the sand and surf for prehistoric sharks’ teeth. Go to calvertparks.org/fpp.html.
Distance from DC: 53 miles.
Gunpowder Falls State Park
The park’s Hammer-man Area has a 1,500-foot-long beach along the wide Gunpowder River. The park can reach capacity on weekends and holidays. See dnr.maryland.gov.