2006 - Captain John Smith Chesapeake NHT
First explored in 1608 by Jamestown settler John Smith, this all-water route winds around the edges of the Chesapeake Bay and up many of its tributaries to the first rapids. It is a circuitous route that combines three different explorations in a 28-foot shallop, a type of sail-rigged longboat. Captain John Smith was a controversial leader who helped establiblish the first successful British colony on American soil, Jamestown, in 1607. Today , more than 60 government and private agencies are responsible for making this Trail a reality. It provides an opportunity for strong conservation and environmental action since its founding members were associated with The Conservation Fund, the National Geographic Society and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Visitors in sailboats, motorboats and kayaks can retrace the 1608 expeditions. Interactive buoys help provide Trail inerpretation. The Trail is administered by the National Park Service with strong support by the Chesapeake Conservancy.
(See NPS website www.nps.gov/cajo