Third Haven Woods
An unusually old hardwood forest on Maryland's Eastern Shore

Photo by The Nature Conservancy

Why You Should Visit
Third Haven Woods is a remnant of the forests that once covered much of the Delmarva Peninsula.  Third Haven harbors towering hardwood trees such as oaks, red maple, tulip-tree, and others.  Under them is a an abundance of flora, including flowering dogwood, southern arrow-wood, American holly, pepperbush, swamp azalea, and blueberry.

Location
Maryland's Eastern Shore, about 2 hours east of Washington, DC.

Hours
Open year round for nature walks and birdwatching.  There are no facilities, trails, or established parking areas.

How to Get the Most from Your Visit

  • Bring plenty of drinking water, sun protection (sunscreen, hat, sunglasses), rain gear, and bug protection. Binoculars, field guides, and a camera may be useful.
  • Pets are not allowed on Conservancy preserves or field trips.
  • Smoking is not permitted.
  • Please do not remove any plants, animals, or rocks.
  • Wear socks and comfortable shoes. Wearing light colors will help you spot and remove ticks.

Please help us maintain this unique natural environment by taking home everything that you bring, including biodegradable materials.

For more information, please contact the Maryland/DC Chapter office at 301-897-8570 or akasakitis@tnc.org.

TICK AND MOSQUITO ALERT
When you get home, plan to drop your clothing directly in the laundry and do a tick check before you shower. Deer ticks, the type that carry lyme disease, are about the size of a pinhead and tend to attach in hair, under ears, underarms, trunk of the body, groin, and backs of the knees. Remove them by gently pulling with tweezers and wipe the skin near the bite with a mild disinfectant. If, within 7-10 days after exposure, you experience a rash (especially an expanding "bull's eye" rash), chills, fever, headache, stiff neck, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes and/or aching joints and muscles, contact your doctor. You can find more information on lyme disease at www.lyme.org or www.aldf.com, or by calling the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at 404-332-4555.

Directions

  • From Route 50 north of Easton, turn right (west) onto Airport Road.  Continue on Airport Road for about 1 mile (past Easton Airport) to a T intersection.  Turn right at T intersection onto Goldsborough Neck Road.  In 0.7 mile bear left at fork.  Continue for 0.3 mile around left turn in road.  The preserve is 1.5 miles on right.

What to See: Plants

  • flowering dogwood
  • southern arrow-wood
  • pepperbush
  • swamp azalea

What to See: Animals

  • Delmarva fox squirrel (federally endangered)
  • bald eagles

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Third Haven Woods is one of the largest single blocks of forested upland not used for timber in the central Eastern Shore.  Although still relatively young, Third Haven will become an excellent example of old-growth forest in several hundred years.  Also, for its protection of the Delmarva fox squirrel.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing Here
Since 1977, The Nature Conservancy has protected 500 acres.