DELMARVA
View Delmarva in a larger map
First off, the Delmarva peninsula is smaller than many states yet contains the whole state of Delaware and portions of Maryland and Virgina. Except for the far northern portion of Delaware, it is quite flat and sadly is not the best place to find great riding roads. The good point about this is that we do have some nice roads and they tend to be lightly traveled!
So, what about the good riding roads in Delmarva? Compared to other locations, most of then are not very long. Many of them are under 8 miles in length. This just means you have to string a few together and may have to ride a bit of boring tarmac to get to the nice stuff.
Some of the best riding is found in the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge. You can spend all day wandering the twisty roads of this area. Just check the tide charts first as there will be water on the roads a few hours either side of high tide. One of the best roads in the refuge is Elliott Island road. This slice of tarmac nirvana (for Delmarva at least) is 17+ miles of windy goodness.
Outside of Blackwater, there are still some nice roads. Rt 9 running up the Delaware shoreline from Little Creek to Delaware City is a beautiful ride. Rt 213 in MD provides a nice easy ride through farmland and small towns.
The side roads, or “comeout” roads as my wife’s Grandfather used to call them, that spiderweb the area range from flat boring to straight out fun. Butterpat Rd (DE), Thirteen Curves Rd (DE) and Bee Tree Rd (MD) are good examples of fun roads. None of them are very long, but most are fun even so. I guess it boils down to making what you can of the roads you are given.
Come on out and ride Delmarva.