The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail is a series of water routes in the United States extending approximately 3,000 miles (4,800 km) along the Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest estuary, and its tributaries in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and in the District of Columbia.

The historic routes trace the 1607–1609 voyages of Captain John Smith to chart the land and waterways of the Chesapeake.

[1] The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail was established on December 19, 2006, by Pub.

L. 109–418 (text) (PDF) after a year of feasibility studies undertaken by the National Park Service and authorized by the United States Congress.

[3] The bay-area water trail is part of the National Trails System and is administered by the National Park Service, in coordination with the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network and the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program.