Elk Neck & Turkey Point

A forest peninsula at the head of the Chesapeake, one way: from North East the route rides MD-272 down Elk Neck, through Elk Neck State Park to Turkey Point, where it turns around on the pavement before the gravel stretch to the lighthouse lot, then comes back north and crosses over on Old Elk Neck Road and Old Field Point Road to Elkton. It's 27 miles. The Turkey Point lot is free, fills up on weekends and is open from sunrise to sunset; the 1833 lighthouse is a short walk from it. Gas stations are few.

North East sits at the head of the Chesapeake Bay, and from there MD-272 runs down Elk Neck, a forested peninsula between the Elk and North East rivers, with short curves and hills that open onto the water. Inside Elk Neck State Park there's a free lot by the park office and the Wapiti Pond trail, right on the road. At Turkey Point, the end of the peninsula, the route turns around on the pavement, before the last gravel stretch to the lighthouse lot.

The Turkey Point Lighthouse was built in 1833 on a 100-foot bluff; the park lists the walk from the lot at 0.4 to 0.8 miles. The Turkey Point area is free, open from sunrise to sunset, and its lot often fills on weekends, so the park suggests arriving before 10 a.m. or coming on a weekday. The route comes back up MD-272, the same road, then crosses east on Old Elk Neck Road and Old Field Point Road and ends in Elkton. It's one way, and there are few gas stations.