Captain John Smith Trail

Experience the first all water trail!

The John Smith Trail is the first all-water National Historic Trail, established by Congress in 2006. The trail is named for Captain John Smith. In 1608 he was President of Virginia’s Jamestown Colony, an explorer, soldier, and the man whose life was saved by the 11-year-old Pocahontas. He sailed up the river in a small open boat with 15 men in the middle of summer. The new trail, mimicking the routes of Smith’s historic voyages in 1607-1609, consists of a 3,000-mile circuit of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

At the Anacostia Watershed Society, we are working on getting the tidal Anacostia River designated as a spur of the Potomac.

Explore the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries by water on the Captain John Smith National Historic Trail.