Assawoman Canal Trailhead / Kayak Launch — Attraction in Ocean View

The trailhead at the southern end of the Assawoman Canal is a clean & comfortable place to start your walk (hike would be too strong a word). There is not much to say about the trailhead itself, but it has a good map of the area. The map shows not just the canal but many other nearby trails and nature preserves, a great resource for figuring out other fun things to do. The only difficulty for the trailhead is access is right off a very busy street, and there isn't a huge amount of shade. Once you enter the trail itself, that will change of course, but it might not be the most pleasant commute outside of a car.

The walk is a mile out and and a mile back, very pleasant and very flat. For a nice summer day in the peak beach season, it was notable how few people we passed. There were some bikers and some other walkers, but for the most part we had the place to ourselves. We will definitely be back as it was an easy and stroller-accessible way to spend...

Although not a long trail, it's very pleasant out and back. The parking for the trailhead turn could be marked better on 26, it isn't until after you turn off the main road that you see the park sign. But the parking is wide, there's a nice bathroom and canoe/kayak launch, and you start almost at the beginning of the trail (which is just 0.1 miles south under the 26 bridge). Trail is well groomed, follows a variety of spots, some right behind residential homes. There's a nice mixture of flowers, bamboo, and trees along the way. The trail end kind of abruptly at a fence along a small creek inlet by the marina, then it's back the way you came. Super easy path, more of a park walk than a hiking trial really so no worries if you're taking someone who isn't surefooted. It's cool to see the canal up close and imagine the history of...

We were hoping for a walk out in nature and chose the Canal Trail due to the positive reviews; we were quite disappointed. It's not much of a "nature" trail. On one side is a canal but the other is literally walking past houses and backyard after backyard. The houses / yards make up the entire side of the trail (toward Main St.), and that's not an exaggeration. There is only about 1 minute where you feel like you are just in nature. There is some shade but enough of the trail was in direct sunlight. At $8 parking fee per vehicle for out-of-towners, our group of 3 cars paid $24 to walk past a bunch of backyards in the heat. Nature lovers, tourists arriving by vehicle, and those hoping to take a nice mostly-shady walk away from "society," you should seek out a...