Our Partners

The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network

National historic trails are partnership endeavors, spanning vast distances and involving many different organizations. The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail has dozens of partners who help us reach visitors across the Chesapeake Bay watershed, consult on matters of historic preservation, and protect the Bay's natural beauty for future generations.

The trail is administered in coordination with the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, a network of organizations with the shared goal of promoting knowledge, stewardship, and recreation of the Chesapeake. The network is managed by the NPS Chesapeake Bay office.

Tribal Partners

We work alongside Tribal partners in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and beyond. Virginia Tribes, including the Pamunkey, Rappahannock, Mattaponi, Upper Mattaponi, Nansemond, Chickahominy, and Eastern Chickahominy, are currently in consultation with the National Park Service to determine current and future management plans for Werowocomoco.

NPS has also worked with Tribes throughout the watershed to complete Indigenous Cultural Landscape (ICL) studies of the Naticoke, Nanjemoy, Mattawoman, Susquehanna, Rappahannock, York, Pamunkey, and Mattaponi rivers.

 

Trail Contact Stations

The Chesapeake National Historic Trail partners with visitor centers, museums, refuges, and parks all along its length. No matter where in the watershed you are, there's a trail experience waiting for you nearby! Below are links where you can explore some of the places we partner with.