Public access points along river corridors, lake shores and the Chesapeake Bay shoreline are mapped to identify opportunities for the establishment of water trails. Watercraft types, water conditions and potential user conflicts on individual water trails should be considered when mapping. Despite work by DGIF, DCR, local governments and the private sector, there remains a shortage of access points. This shortage limits opportunities for water trails and blueways.
There are two types of blueway or water trail maps. At the longer-trip planning scale, maps show a large geographic area and highlight the key points of interest. At the more detailed level, maps depict river segments and show hazards, rapids, portages and points of interest. Detailed trip maps are often produced as a subset of a larger planning map.