Hooper's Island

Hoopers Island is a chain of three small populated islands in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. The principal community, of about 400 people, is known as Fishing Creek.

Understand
The community here has deep roots, running back to the mid-17th century, when Henry Hooper found it a nice place for a tobacco plantation. In the hundred years, Hooper Island converted from a tobacco community to a fishing economy, hauling crabs and especially oysters out of the once rich Bay. Today the community, like nearly all the proud Chesapeake watermen communities, is under threat from fish stocks depleted by pollution and from rising waters.

Get in
Hoopers Island is a good long drive from the nearest town, but it's a beautiful ride. Hoopers Island Rd (MD-355) is the one land route in. It's a simple route from Cambridge&mdash;just take MD-16 south, then turn left on MD-335. The bridges from island to island are beautiful!

See
Hoopers Island isn't full of sightseeing attractions&mdash;it is the sightseeing attraction. Its setting is beautiful, and a great place to take in a Chesapeake sunset.



Do




Sleep
Unless you have family here, you won't find a place to stay overnight on the islands, unless you rent one of the few homes available for a weekend or week's stay. The closest overnight off the island is about 25 minutes away near Taylor Wildlife Preserve just off Smithville Rd on the way to Cambridge:

Go next

 * Beautiful Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is back up the road towards Cambridge.