A place that the modern world has not yet managed to hurry. Accessible only by water, surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay, and inhabited by a community that has called it home for centuries.
Smith Island sits quietly in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay — about 12 miles from the mainland, accessible only by ferry. It is one of the last inhabited offshore islands in Maryland, and it has the particular quality of places that have been preserved by difficulty: raw, beautiful, honest.
The island spans roughly eight square miles, most of it salt marsh and open water. Three communities — Ewell, Tylerton, and Rhodes Point — are home to a few hundred permanent residents, most of them with deep roots in the waterman tradition of crabbing and fishing that has sustained island life for generations.
There are no traffic lights. No bridges. No highways. Golf carts, bicycles, and your own two feet are how you get around. The island operates at a pace that visitors often find disorienting at first — and then deeply restorative.
Ferry service from Crisfield, Maryland. The crossing takes approximately one hour. Check seasonal schedules before you travel — the ferry runs on island time.
Ewell (the largest), Tylerton, and Rhodes Point make up the island's inhabited areas. The Sanctuary is located in Ewell, where most visitor facilities are found.
Blue crabs, soft-shell crabs, and the Smith Island Cake — a multi-layered confection that became the official state dessert of Maryland. Taste it while you're here.
The island has no need for a car. Golf carts are common; bicycles are everywhere. Walking is how you discover the best things. The Sanctuary can help arrange transport from the ferry.
Cell service is limited, Wi-Fi available at the Sanctuary. Many guests find the gentle disconnection one of the most healing aspects of their visit. The world will still be there when you return.
Spring and fall are ideal — mild weather, beautiful light, and the full richness of the island's plant and bird life. Summer brings warmth and crabbing season. Winter offers solitude and a rare quiet.
Smith Island has been inhabited since the 17th century, settled by English watermen and their families who found sustenance in the extraordinary abundance of the Chesapeake Bay. That heritage of careful stewardship — of living within the rhythms of water and season — runs through island culture to this day.
The island has faced real challenges in recent decades: population decline as younger generations move to the mainland, and the slow pressure of sea-level rise that makes the future of this land genuinely uncertain. What remains is a place of extraordinary resilience, beauty, and quiet dignity.
When you visit, you are a guest not only of the Sanctuary but of the island itself — and of a community that has cared for this land far longer than we have.
Our Commitment to Peaceful Coexistence