THE PARKS...
Alapocas Woods Natural Area
Phone - (302) 577.7020
Website - http://www.destateparks.com/wilmsp/wilmsp.htm
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Wilmington, New Castle County; behind the DuPont Experimental Station, off Route 141 on Alapocas Drive. The trailhead
is in the woods at the back of the parking lot. You can also access the trails from Alapocas Drive.
The Park
The original 123 acres of the 145-acre park were deeded to Wilmington in 1910 by William Poole Bancroft, founder of the city’s park system. Today, Alapocas is a part of Wilmington State Parks, although the gate on the bridge connecting the park to Rockford Park is locked more often than not.
The Walks
The main Alapocas Woods Trail tumbles up and down wooded hillsides for 1.8 miles. After a narrow start (a new trail segment), the path is wide, the trees are mature with little understory to block your views and the canine hiking is splendid. Most of the way, including side loops like the Paw-Paw Trail (that is the tree, not a dogs-only trail), the footpaths are covered in paw-friendly dirt. If, however, you venture off the main track and hike down to the Brandywine River you will do so on a steep, rocky track that is hard on foot and paw. Your reward for this exploration is a descent into the industrial heritage of the river. As you walk along the water you will be in the shadow of the Bancroft Mills complex, once the largest cotton finishing works in the world.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural and macadam down by the Brandywine
Workout For Your Dog - Plenty of rolls around the park
Swimming - Yes, the namesake creek is superb
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Squeezed between the Piedmont and coastal plain zones, Alapocas offers some of the most dramatic geology in Delaware. The granite cliffs here are high enough to claim the state’s only natural waterfall and plentiful enough for the Brandywine Granite Company to have once quarried over 600,000 tons of Wilmington “Blue Rocks” from this site between 1883 and 1888.
Ashland Nature Center
Phone - (302) 239.2334
Website - http://www.delawarenaturesociety.org/ashland/index.html
Admission Fee - Yes, to use the trails
Directions - Hockessin, New Castle County; off Route 41 on Barley Mill Road, between Creek Road (Route 82) and Brackenville.
The Park
A mill operated here as early as 1715. Since 1964, when the Delaware Nature Society was founded, 130 acres at Ashland Nature Center have been preserved for the conservation and study of natural resources.
The Walks
There are four self-guiding nature trails here, each a loop between .8 and 1.3 miles. Sugarbush and Treetop trails explore the wooded hillside beyond the Ashland Covered Bridge, built in the days before the Civil War; the adjoining Succession and Flood Plain trails visit meadow, marsh, pond and forest. There is a good deal of hillwalking at Ashland, save for the benign Flood Plain Trail.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural dirt and grass
Workout For Your Dog - The park is set in rolling hills
Swimming - Birch Run and the Red Clay Creek flow through the property; neither is deep enough to dog paddle in
Restrictions On Dogs - None on the trails
Something Extra
The Ashland Covered Bridge across the Red Clay Creek, built in the days before the Civil War, is one of Delaware’s only two remaining historic covered bridges.
Battery Park
Phone - None
Website - None
Admission Fee - None
Directions - New Castle, New Castle County; located in New Castle at the end of Delaware Street, off Route 9. Convenient parking lots are located along 3rd Street.
The Park
New Castle, originally named Fort Casimir, was founded in 1651 by Peter Stuyvesant, who was sent to provide the Dutch with command of all river traffic. Its strategic location led to constant bickering among colonizing European nations until the English established permanent control. William Penn stepped ashore a few yards from Battery Park in 1682 to take possession of his extensive land holdings that would become Pennsylvania and Delaware. The Trustees of New Castle Common, a body of 13 Trustees, oversee a nonprofit charitable organization founded by Penn, which was incorporated in 1764 and reincorporated by assembly in 1792. The Trustees bought and developed Battery Park, established the river walkway and rehabilitated the adjacent wetlands.
The Walks
The paved walking path out of Battery Park reaches 2.5 miles along the Delaware River. In addition to unobstructed vistas across the
Delaware, there are some interesting marsh views on the opposite side of the trail as well. The walking is flat and easy. When you arrive back in Battery Park, reverse your course and take your dog on the brick sidewalks through historic New Castle.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Macadam path
Workout For Your Dog - Easy canine hiking
Swimming - The Delaware River laps gently to shore here and there are several points of access for your dog to enjoy a great swim - a concrete boat ramp, small sand beaches and a rocky beach at the end of the trail
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The ticket office of the New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad in Battery Park dates to 1832 and is the oldest ticket office in the United
States. Battery Park was the terminus for the pioneering railroad.
Blackbird State Forest
Phone - (302) 653.6505
Website - http://state.de.us/deptagri/forestry/forest.shtml
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Smyrna, New Castle County; office is located in the Tybout Tract, about 4 miles northwest of Smyrna. Take Route 15 South and make a left on Oliver Guessford Road. Follow to the end. Make a right on Blackbird Forest Road and the entrance to the office is 1/3 mile down on the left. From Route 13, turn left on Blackbird Forest Road (County Road 471). Continue for 1.5 miles to the office.
The Park
The Blackbird State Forest manages about 3,400 acres on 10 nonconnecting tracts. Here you can see such New Castle County arboreal regulars as yellow poplar, white oak, maple, gum and bayberry mingling with an occasional regal loblolly pine just north of is natural
range.
The Walks
An informal tangle of fire road, deer paths and primitive trails extend for over 40 miles in the forest. The best canine hiking is in the Tybout Tract where the paths are generally wide and well-trod. Most of the trails in the other tracts are rustic enough in many places to be termed “overgrown” at certain times during the year.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt and pine straw
Workout For Your Dog - Flat, flat, flat
Swimming - Not much water fun in narrow streams of the forest
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Of immediate interest in the Blackbird Forest are the Delmarva Bays or “whale wallows.” These series of shallow depressions, filled with water in rainy times, are found only in the Blackbird State Forest and the Millington Wildlife Management Area in nearby Kent County,
Maryland. Their origins are a mystery - local lore maintains that they are the result of struggling whales, stranded after a biblical flood receded. Other theories suggest glacial scraping or even meteorites. Whatever their origins, when wet, these “living museums” support rare plants and wildlife. Seven of the Delmarva Bays have been dedicated as nature preserves in the Blackbird State Forest. A prominent “whale wallow” near the office in the Tybout Tract is opposite the southernmost picnic area. Although there are no trails leading to this Delmarva Bay, you can claw your way through the woods to reach it.
Brandywine Creek State Park
Phone - (302) 577.3534
Website - http://www.destateparks.com/bcsp/bcsp.asp
Admission Fee - Yes, May to October
Directions - Talleyville, New Castle County; the main entrance is on Adams Dam Road, between Thompson’s Bridge Road (Route 92) and Rockland Road. Other parking areas are at Thompson’s Bridge and off Rockland Road, opposite Rockland Mills.
The Park
Once a du Pont family dairy farm, this spectacular swath of land became a State Park in 1965. Delaware’s first two nature preserves are located here: Tulip Tree Woods and Freshwater Marsh, at the edge of Brandywine Creek. The stone walls that criss-cross the 850-acre park are the legacy of skilled Italian masons who crafted the barriers from locally quarried Brandywine granite - the original “Wilmington Blue Rocks.”
The Walks
There are eight blazed trails totalling 14 miles on both sides of the Brandywine Creek. All are short, all are woodsy and if you can’t reach out and touch the water you are moving up or down a hill. The Hidden Pond Trail and the Indian Springs Trail each travel along the water and visit 200-year old tuplip polars. The star walk at Thompson’s Bridge is the rugged, 1.9-mile Rocky Run Trail, winding around the closest thing to a mountain stream in Delaware. Nearby, the Multi-Use Trail tags the stream for the better part of two miles.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt and grass
Workout For Your Dog - Some good - but not lethal-climbs
Swimming - Yes, the namesake creek is superb
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
In the winter of 1802 a rudderless French immigrant living in New Jersey named Eleuthere Irenee du Pont was invited to the Brandywine Valley to hunt game. It was not a successful trip. The damp weather fouled his gunpowder so that his musket continually misfired. It was so bad du Pont decided to re-enter the industry he had turned his back on in France as a youth: black powder. When it came time to launch his new business he remembered what you see today in thepark: the hardwood forests that would burn to charcoal, one of the ingredients he would need for powder; the abundant granite in the hills to build his mills; and the swift-flowing river to power the mills. And so he returned to Delaware to found a dynasty. Incidentally, the favorite breed of dog for the du Pont family when they lived here: the greyhound.
Brandywine Springs Park
Phone - None
Website - None
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Mill Creek, New Castle County; at the corner of Newport Gap Pike (Route 41) and Faulkland Road (Route 34). The entrance is on Faulkland Road.
The Park
One of the first resort hotels and spas in America was built here in 1827. The recreational heritage of the area was revived with the advent
of a popular amusement park decades later featuring, among other attractions, a boardwalk and a roller coaster. The Friends of Brandywine Springs Park have erected stations housing turn-of-the-20th century photographs to help recreate its heyday as a pioneering amusement park in the United States.
The Walks
The historic Brandywine Springs Park is an ideal spot for a quick walk of a half-hour or so. Many people walk dogs around the picnic areas in the ballfields in the upper section of the park. The lower, wooded section - where the amusement park was located – features wide trails that fishhook along Hyde Run and Red Clay Creek. Both the upper and lower sections are flat walks; the connecting trails between the two areas require short hikes up and down the interceding steep grade. The gentlest of these is the trail at the Council Oak, the remains of a 330 year old tree that stands at the woods’ edge opposite the park entrance. It is said that George Washington met with his war council beneath the oak on September 8, 1777 and made the decision to fall back to the Brandywine River and defend Philadelphia against the marching British Army instead of engaging the invaders behind the Red Clay Creek. Washington would ultimately be routed in Chadds Ford, in part because his knowledge of that countryside was vastly inferior to the British.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt and grass trails
Workout For Your Dog - If she’s looking for a steep hill she can find it
Swimming - The Red Clay Creek is deep enough for a dog to jump in and the fast-moving Hyde Run is fun to romp in
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
When the historic Wilmington & Western tourist railroad is operating (the stretch of tracks in the park has been washed away by floods
twice in recent years), you may chance to see the old-fashioned train rumble across the open wooden trestle spanning Red Clay Creek.
Brecknock Park
Phone - None
Website - None
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Camden, Kent County; from Route 113 veer right onto Old Camden Road and the park is immediately on the right.
The Park
Alexander Humphreys received a warrant of 600 acres here in 1680 and is believed to have called it “Brecknock” after a shire in Wales. The first mill along the banks of the Isaac Branch of the St. Jones River was constructed in 1740, beginning almost two centuries of grain production. By 1812 a state-of-the-art, three-story Oliver Evans mill had replaced it. Evans, a Delawarean born in Newport, built the nation’s first automatic mill on the Red Clay Creek. In 1928 a hurricane washed away the mill’s dam and the mill itself was demolished during a World War II scrap metal drive. The land was acquired for a Kent County park in 1993 and the boardwalk for the Isaac Branch Nature Trail was a construction project of a team of Americorps volunteers. The mansion on the property dates to the mid-1700s and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Walks
Your canine hiking day at Brecknock begins with an easy walk around an open field studded with plantings of Virginia Pine, River Birch, Scarlet Oak and Red Cedar. A completely different park awaits you as drop down to the Isaac Branch Nature Trail at the back of Brecknock. The remainder of your canine hike will be along and over the slow-moving wetlands. This is an out-and-back trail of about one mile, much of it on boardwalk. Back in the recreational section of the park there is an exhibit on the history of milling and plenty of greenspace for a lively game of fetch.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Boardwalks and natural surfaces
Workout For Your Dog - Mostly easy-going travel
Swimming - Isaac Branch is not a canine swimming hole
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Take time to visit the Native Butterfly Garden created at Brecknock Park. Different species of butterflies have different preferences of nectar, in both colors and tastes so a wide variety of food plants give the greatest diversity of visitors. In a butterfly garden you’ll see groups of the same plants that are easier for butterflies to see than singly planted flowers. Wild and cultivated plants are staggered, as well as blooming times of the day and year.
Cape Henlopen State Park
Phone - (302) 645.8983
Website - http://www.destateparks.com/chsp/chsp.htm
Admission Fee - Yes, May to October
Directions - Lewes, Sussex County; one mile east of town at the end of Route 9, off of Route 1.
The Park
Cape Henlopen has the distinction of being one of the first parks in America: in 1682 William Penn decreed that Cape Henlopen would be for “the usage of the citizens of Lewes and Sussex County.” The area had been Delaware’s first permanent settlement 50 years earlier by ill-fated Dutch colonists who were massacred by local Indians. Cape Henlopen’s strategic location at the mouth of the Delaware Bay led the United States Army to establish Fort Miles among the dunes in 1941. In 1964, the Department of Defense declared 543 acres on the cape as surplus property and the State of Delaware established Cape Henlopen State Park. Today the park boasts more than 5,000 acres, including four miles of pristine beaches where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. It is Delaware’s largest state park.
The Walks
More than 10 miles of trails, including 6 miles along the Atlantic Ocean. The 3.1-mile paved Dune Overlook Trail is a must – and don’t skip the spur to the 80-foot Great Dune.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Everything from sand to macadam
Workout For Your Dog - Good when trotting on soft sand; otherwise easy
Swimming - Yes! Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are not permitted around the Seaside Nature Center or on the Pinelands Nature Trail, dogs are prohibited from all swimming and sunbathing beaches from May 1 to September 30, dogs are allowed in the campground.
Something Extra
Remnants of Cape Henlopen’s military past remain nestled among the massive sand dunes. Bunkers and gun emplace-ments were camouflaged deep in the sand and concrete observation towers were built along the shoreline to bolster America’s coastal defenses during World War II. Lookouts scanned the Atlantic Ocean for German U-boats during World War II and although the fort’s huge guns were never fired in battle, a German submarine did surrender here after the war.
Carousel Park
Phone - None
Website - None
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Mill Creek, New Castle County; halfway between Newark and Wilmington, is on Limestone Road (Route 7) between Milltown Road and New Linden Hill Road. Smaller parking lots are at the end of Old Linden Hill Road, off Limestone Road, and on Skyline Drive, off New Linden Hill Road.
The Park
Carousel Park is another legacy to recreation in Delaware from the du Pont family, being a former family estate. Long the home of public riding stables, New Castle County has worked to make the park a mecca for hiking as well.
The Walks
Carousel is a suburban park given over to walking - no playgrounds or ballfields here. The main trail (The Carousel Loop) is a three-mile walk around the circumference of the park. Many short connecting trails dissect the park as well. All told their are 14 trails in the park winding through open fields, horse pastures, ponds, hardwoods (Land of the Giants) and pine trees (Sherwood Forest). Carousel Park is set in rolling hills; a healthy climb is required to reach Strawberry Field in the back of the park. The Carousel Loop is covered with paw pleasing wood chips the entire way.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Some gravel roads but mostly dirt and wood chips
Workout For Your Dog - Rolling terrain
Swimming - Enchanted Lake is an ideal spot for canine aquatics
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
An off-leash Bark Park at Carousel Park has been established in an open field above Enchanted Lake. With the easy access to the lake
this is the best dog park in the Mid-Atlantic. Yes, it is.
Delaware Seashore State Park
Phone - (302) 227-2800
Website - http://www.destateparks.com/dssp/dssp.asp
Admission Fee - Yes, May to October
Directions - Indian River, Sussex County; located between the Atlantic Ocean and Rehoboth Bay on DE Route 1, south of Rehoboth Beach and north of Bethany Beach.The Park Delaware has about two dozen miles of ocean shore- land and about half of those are part of the state park system. And about half of those are in the Delaware Seashore State Park, the First State’s most popular park. Now streching across 2,825 acres, the park was created in 1965.
The Walks
There are no formal trails through the park, just plenty of beach to hike on. There is more to see at Delaware Seashore State Park than sea and sand. World War II observation towers still stand as reminders of coastal Delaware’s military history. Just to the south, at low tide, stumps of a ghost forest, trees overwhelmed by tide and sand, can still be seen. And if you find your dog acting peculiar it may be the presence of the ghost of a young woman, clad in an old-fashioned bathing suit, who has been seen roaming the dunes. When there is access, a 1.5-mile loop trail explores Burton’s Island, one of the inland bay’s largest islands. Much of the way the trail is sand-surfaced with a boardwalk covering the saltwater marsh.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural dirt and sand
Workout For Your Dog - Long trots in the sand
Swimming - If your dog finds the pounding surf of the Atlantic Ocean intimidating, you can turn around and go a few hundred yards to thegentle (usually) water of the inland bays
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed on the beach from October 1 to May 1; also Tower Road during the summer.
Something Extra
About a mile north of Indian River Inlet is the Indian River Life-Saving Station, built in 1876. It was constructed about 400 feet closer to the waves but almost immediately became engulfed in a dune and was moved to its present location a year later. The station was occupied by six surfmen and a keeper from September to May to aid mariners in navigating the dangerous waters offshore. After the Coast Guard formed they took over operations that continued until the 1960s. The station, with its distinctive diamond-shaped trim, has been restored to its 1905 appearance. It is one of America’s oldest life-saving stations still standing.
Holts Landing State Park
Phone - (302) 539.9060
Website - http://www.destateparks.com/holts/hlsp.htm
Admission Fee - Yes, May to October
Directions - Millville, Sussex County; from Route 1 take Route 26 West to County Road 346 or 347 north to the park entrance.
The Park
Nanticoke Indians harvested seafood and hunted in the surrounding marshes and forests along the shores of Delaware’s inland bays. Later, this property was farmed by the Holt family until 1957 when the farm was sold to the state highway department. In 1965 the first parcel of what would become the 203-acre Holts Landing State Park was transferred to the State Park Commission.
The Walks
The star hiking trail here is the 1.7-mile Sea Hawk Trail that takes in three different ecosystems: beach, marsh and forest. You’ll start (assuming high tide has left the trail passable) with a walk down the beach and expansive views of Indian River Bay. As you turn away from the water the route utilizes old access roads in a once-cultivated field that is morphing back into woodlands. In this open part of the hike scan the skies and treetops of tall pines for evidence of the ospreys - or sea hawks - that give the trail its name. Ospreys can grow to 23 inches long with a wingspan of more than five feet. They fish by swooping down and snaring fish as big as 4 pounds in their talons.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Plenty of paw-friendly sand paths
Workout For Your Dog - Level going all around
Swimming - The shallow waters of Indian River Bay are ideal for splashing and freshwater dog paddling can be had in several borrow pits created by the highway department’s road-building crews that have filled with water
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
You can enjoy the activities that have gone on for centuries on the bayshore - fishing, clamming or crabbing. The park sports a new crabbing pier and a convenient boat ramp to pursue flounder, trout and bluefish.
James Farm Ecological Park
Phone - (302) 645.7325
Website - http://www.inlandbays.org/cib_pm/education.php
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Ocean View, Sussex County; traveling south on Delaware 1, make your first right after crossing Indian River Inlet onto Road 360. Continue to the end and make a right on Cedar Neck Road. The parking lot is on the left, just past the tennis club. Approaching on Route 26, make a left on Cedar Neck.The Park James Farm was created as an ecological preserve through a gift of 150 acres to Sussex County in 1992 from Mary Lighthipe in memory of her son Harold. Beginning in 1998, the Center for the Inland Bays has managed the property for the benefit of the public.
The Walks
A patchwork of color-coded trails explores this thumb of land that pokes into the Indian River Bay. You move your dog through an old horse pasture that has been reforested with a planting of 4000 young trees and then push into a maritime forest on the way to a small sandy beach on Pasture Point Cove. Dogs will love the silky soft sands and gentle waters of the bay. For an open field trot, don’t forget the Purple Trail across Cedar Neck Road. There is no better place to take your dog for a walk at the beach than James Farm.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Wide, paw-friendly trails
Workout For Your Dog - Level throughout
Swimming - No place better than Indian River Bay where the water is knee-deep for a quarter-mile out
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Beginning in 2003, James Farm has been one of 14 locations in Delaware’s inland bays used for oyster gardening. More than one million oysters have been deployed to build reefs that will stabilize the bay floor and filter the waters for a more energized aquatic environment. It is estimated that a single oyster can filter 50 gallons of water and more than 100,000 oysters were introduced to the reef at Pasture Point Cove. The oysters attach themselves to a solid substrate - often another oyster - and begin building a reef habitat. Natural oysters have been gone from Delaware’s inland bays for over 30 years but someday the efforts of this oyster gardening may yield harvests once again.
Killens Pond State Park
Phone - (302) 284.4526
Website - http://www.destateparks.com/kpsp/kpsp.htm
Admission Fee - Yes, May to October
Directions - Felton, Kent County; take Killens Pond Road east of Route 13 to the park entrance past Lake Forest High School.
The Park
Native tribes traditionally gathered for centuries in this area around the waterway that would come to be called “Murderkill” after a Dutch trading party was slaughtered at the mouth of the river by local tribes in 1648. In the late 1700s the river was dammed and the 66-acre millpond created. In 1965, Killens Pond became Kent County’s only state park.
The Walks
The first thing your dog will notice while trotting on the trails at Killens Pond is that it is unusually hilly for central Delaware. Just enough to give the 2.75-mile Pondside Trail a nice, sporty feel. Your dog will also approve of the wide, roomy paths and the packed sand and pine straw under paw. The trail circles the entire pond, keeping sight of the water most of the way. Chances are you will just be getting warmed up with this pleasing ramble and luckily Killens Pond serves up a few more choices. The Ice Storm Trail is a loop that shows the forest regenerating from a 1994 storm that left trees snapping and buckling under the weight of a cocoon of ice. If it is not in use you and your dog can sample the best cross-country course in downstate Delaware on the western edge of the pond.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Very paw-friendly sandy dirt
Workout For Your Dog - Nothing a fun-loving dog can’t handle
Swimming - The best place to access the pond is at the boat ramp
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed in the campground but not the cabins
Something Extra
Killens Pond offers the opportunity to hike through a uniquely diverse forest area as southern species mingle at the northern edge of their range with northern species reaching their southern boundary. Seven seperate species of oak trees share the sandy soil with majestic loblolly pines; American holly jostles with Virginia pine and so on.
Lums Pond State Park
Phone - (302) 368.6989
Website - http://www.destateparks.com/lpsp/lpsp.asp
Admission Fee - Yes, May to October
Directions - Kirkwood, New Castle County; main entrance on Howell School Road between Red Lion Road (Route 71) and Route 896. The dog park is east of the Main Entrance on Buck Jersey Road.
The Park
In the early 1800s the Army Corps of Engineers dammed the St. Georges Creek, once home to Lenni Lenape Indian hunting camps, to hold water for the original Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. The result is Delaware’s largest freshwater pond, a 200-acre water playground for boaters, fishermen, swimmers - and dogs.
The Walks
The Swamp Forest Trail at Lums Pond circumnavigates the water and covers over seven miles. Along the way you will hike through woods and fields and cross 26 wooden bridges. Look for the toothwork of the active colony of beavers at Lums Pond along the way. If three or four hours of trekking with your dog isn’t on your menu, however, don’t attempt this trip - unless you flag down a boat you will have to do the whole shebang. The hike around Lums Pond is a little too long and not varied enough to rank higher. Beware that after heavy rains this water-level dirt trail gets very muddy. There are also another ten miles of multi-use trails on the park’s 1,757 acres but no short- or medium length hiking-only trails. You can also take your dog on a unique 200-yard “sensory trail” at Lums Pond that encourages the exploration of nature with other senses beside sight.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Mostly dirt but roots and wet spots
Workout For Your Dog - No elevation gain at Lums Pond
Swimming - Access all around the pond
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are not allowed in the swimming area in season
Something Extra
Lums Pond features one of the 7 tournament-ready, 18-hole disc golf courses in Delaware (all in state parks).The course is noted for its many holes threaded through the park’s trees. You can take your dog along for a casual round or watch the pros each May when the Professional Disc Golf Association visits Lums Pond for tournament play.
Middle Run Natural Area
Phone - None
Website - None
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Newark, New Castle County; going northeast on Kirkwood Highway (Route 2)turn onto Possum Park Road. After 1.7 miles turn right on Possum Hollow Road. Take a left at the entrance to the park after about 1/2 mile.
The Park
The White Clay Creek drains some 70,000 acres and 100 square miles in Pennsylvania and Delaware. In Delaware, where Middle Run is one of its three main tributaries, it seems that much of that watershed is choked by sub- urban sprawl. Beginning in 1975, local civic and environmental groups began piece-meal acquisition of pristine woodlands that has resulted in an 850-acre oasis in the center of housing subdivisions, shopping centers and busy roadways.
The Walks
Middle Run features splendid canine hiking on five well-maintained loop trails that cover 14 miles and an additional five short spurs that lead to surrounding communites. All offer interesting - and sometimes challenging - switches in terrain. The purple-blazed Lenape Trail visits most of the property in its run of almost 7 miles, one of the longest loop trails in Delaware. The best choice for dog walkers only wanting to sample Middle Run’s sylvan charms is the pedestrian-only 2.15-mile Possum Hollow Trail.Another good ramble is the Earth Day Trail that drops out of the parking lot into a steep valley around Muddy Run.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural dirt trails
Workout For Your Dog - Absolutely; try the Snow Geese Trail to really get your dog’s tongue to hanging
Swimming - The streams are only good for splashing – or this would be a solid four-paw destination
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The patches of long-abandoned farmland are good places to spot hawks. Hawks can appear at Middle Run at any time of the year but in fall and spring the skies overflow with migrating hawks making long-distance trips between their breeding grounds and winter residences. Fall migration usually begins in mid-August and continues through late November. Spring migration takes place between March and May.
Nanticoke Wildlife Area
Phone - (302) 875-9997
Website - None
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Bethel, Sussex County;west to Maryland border. From Route 13, take Route 24 west to Airport Road (Road 494) and turn right. As you reach the wildlife area an office and mapboards will appear on the right.
The Park
The Nanticoke River springs to life in southern Delaware and flows southwest to the Chesapeake Bay. It is considered one of the Chesapeake’s healthiest rivers. Scientists believe the area’s unique habitat stems from 10,000 years ago when the land was more exposed and prevailing winds deposited large amounts of sand across the flat terrain. Most of the roads cut through the 3,177-acre wilderness were constructed during the Roosevelt Administration by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
The Walks
Of the managed wildlife areas by the State of Delaware where you get out and explore on old fire roads, Nanticoke is the best to hike with your dog. The packed sand roads are flat, easy to walk and easy on the paw. There are more than 12 miles of these well-maintained access roads; some are closed to all vehicles and others receive sporadic traffic. Keep your eyes peeled for small side trails that can lead to secluded ponds in the forests of black oaks and Virginia pine. The Nanticoke Wildlife Area is divided into a North Area and South Area, severed by Broad Creek. There are more natural surface trails in the North Area and access to the Nanticoke River.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt trails and sand roads
Workout For Your Dog - Level terrain throughout
Swimming - Broad Creek and the Nanticoke River are slow-moving and ideal for water-loving dogs
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The chance to see bald eagles - the Nanticoke watershed sports the highest concentration of bald eagles in the northeastern United States. The great birds favor massive nests in the treetops on the edges of the water.
Norman Wilder Wildlife Area
Phone - None
Website - None
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Dover, Kent County; southwest of the capital. Turn right off Route 13 at Canterbury onto Road 32. Go through the village of Viola and continue straight on Road 108. At a T-instersection, turn right. Parking is in designated areas along the roads, the first at a maintenance area about a half-mile on the right.
The Park
The former Petersburg Wildlife Area was re-named for Norman G. Wilder, who embarked on a 56-year conservation career after a fouryear stint in the Army in the South Pacific in World War II. A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Wilder was named director of the Delaware Game and Fish Commission in 1948.
The Walks
Your canine hiking adventure in Norman G. Wilder Wildlife Area will take place along some 16 miles of fire roads through dense forest and swampland. These roads range from mossy grass to gravelly dirt but all are level and exceedingly easy for your dog to trot. Althoughyou won’t notice it, there is enough elevation change here to divide the watersheds of the Chesapeake and Delaware bays.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Wooded dirt trails
Workout For Your Dog - Easy hiking all around
Swimming - Barely, in the occasional ditch
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
When the leaves are off the trees you can scan the high branches of the towering oaks in the Wilder Wildlife Area for glimpses of American mistletoe. Identified nearly 2000 years ago, Anglo Saxons named the plant “mistle-tan” meaning “dung twig” after bird droppings on a branch. It was thought the plant’s existence was entwined with birds but it is actually a parasitic plant that is also known as the Vampire Plant. The mistletoe sends out a root-like structure into the bark of hardwood trees and extracts all its nutrients from its host. The mistletoe’s mooching won’t kill the oak - if the host dies, it dies. You can recognize mistletoe by its clumps of 2-inch greenish yellow leaves and clusters of white berries. The tradition of kissing under a sprig of mistletoe dates back hundreds of years. The proper procedure is to pick one berry off the plant for every kiss received. When the berries are gone, so are the kisses. Make sure you dispose of the berries after you’re through bussing - they are toxic to dogs and people.
Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge
Phone - (302) 684.8419
Website - http://www.fws.gov/northeast/primehook/
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Milton, Sussex County; located 12 miles southeast of Milford and 10 miles northwest of Lewes. Take Route 16 off Delaware1 for one mile. Turn left into the refuge on Turkle Pond Road.
The Park
When Dutch settlers first pushed onto these shores nearly 400 years ago they discovered an abundance of purple beach plums and named that area Priume Hoek, meaning “Plum Point.” In 1963, the United States Fish & Wildlife Service created the refuge to protect more than 10,000 acres of fresh and saltwater wetlands from Slaughter Beach to the Broadkill River.
The Walks
Prime Hook features four walking trails that visit fields, forest and marshlands. All four, located off the main road, can be completed comfortably in an afternoon’s visit. The Pine Grove Trail follows a serpentine path between Turkle and Fleetwood ponds. The trail is just under one mile long. Up the road is the Black Farm Trail that skirts wooded uplands and marshes as it travels around former farm fields. A trail extension leads to a photography blind. This is flat, easy canine hiking. At the park office are two adjoining walks that explore a freshwater marsh. The Dike Trail travels atop the spoil from the digging of the Headquarters Ditch straight out for a half-mile and the Boardwalk Trail slips across the water after passing by the Morris family cemetery, where eight family members are buried.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Soft pine straw-andleaf surface beneath mature loblolly pines is extremely easy on the paw.
Workout For Your Dog - Easy going throughout
Swimming - Broadkill Beach at Prime Hook is a fantastic place to take your dog for a swim
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The mixed pine-hardwood forest at the edges of the Prime Hook marshes is ideal habitat for the Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel, an endangered species of mammal since 1967. The largest of the 10 varieties of local tree squirrels, the reclusive creature is hard to spot even though it grows to over two feet long. Look for a flash of white belly and large bushy tail with black edge stripes in tree cavities or scampering along the ground of the open forest - unlike its more agile cousins it doesn’t jump from tree to tree.
Redden State Forest
Phone - (302) 856.2893
Website - http://state.de.us/deptagri/forestry/forest.shtml
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Georgetown, Sussex County; three miles north on East Redden Road, 1/2 mile off of Route 113.
The Park
The Redden State Forest is Delaware’s largest, embracing 9,500 acres in 14 separate tracts of land across central Sussex County in the heart of the state’s loblolly pine country. Redden also protects large swaths of wooded wetlands characterized by thriving stands of bottomland hardwoods, including red maple, sweetgum, and mixed oaks. State forest lands are open to hunting during the fall and winter hunting seasons so check ahead for restrictions.
The Walks
While there are 44 miles of trails - mostly unpaved access roads – in the 14 tracts of Redden State Forest, the only destination for canine hikers is the Headquarters Tract. Here you can sample the forest on an interpretive Educational Trail, a nature loop that kicks off opposite the park office, housed in an historic carriage house. This flat, sandy footpath can hold water after heavy rains. Hardy canine hikers can set off on an easy-to-walk, 5-mile Headquarters Loop Trail, mostly on access roads.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Dirt roads and trails
Workout For Your Dog - Some good climbs; mostly across the creek
Swimming - There are ditches and an occasional pond, good for cooling off but your dog can leave his swimming trunks home when coming here
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The centerpiece of the Redden State Forest is the historic Redden Lodge, built in the early 1900s by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a hunting retreat for company executives. The graceful wood-shake building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and was completely renovated in 1995.
Trap Pond State Park
Phone - (302) 875-5153
Website - http://www.destateparks.com/tpsp/tpsp.htm
Admission Fee - Yes, May to October
Directions - Laurel, Sussex County; 5 miles east, off Route 24 between Route 13 and Route 113. The park is one mile south on Trap Pond Road (Road 449).
The Park
Trap Pond is a small portion of the Great Cypress Swamp and features one of the northernmost natural stands of baldcypress trees in North America. In the late 1700s a millpond was constructed to power a sawmill to harvest the valuable lumber. During the Depression
in the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps of the federal government put men to work building diverse recreation facilities. In 1951, 14 years after the Delaware legislature authorized the development of the state park system, Trap Pond became the first state park to welcome visitors.
The Walks
The 5-mile long Boundary Trail completely circles both the 90-acre millpond and the baldcypress swamp. There is a mixture of natural and paved surfaces and the flat trail is very easy to walk. Note that to complete the loop requires a short walk on Little Hill Road. For canine hikers not interested in a complete circumnavigation of Trap Pond there are short one-mile trails on opposite shores. The Island Trail on the western shore visits the shoreline and actually onto one of the namesake islands in the pond before leading back into the forest. On the opposite shore the Cypress Point Trail meanders along the edge of the swamp.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural trails and dirt roads
Workout For Your Dog - Minimal elevation changes
Swimming - The best access is from a wooden dock on the south shore
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Hiking through Trap Pond State Park is an experience like no other in Delaware - your walk in the atmospheric swamp could easily be in the Louisiana bayou. Marvel in the quiet beauty of the baldcypress - one of the few trees capable of living in the water. Each tree sends out small stumps known as “knees” in every direction to help keep from drowning. The boardwalks on the Cypress Point Trail enable you and your dog to get close up views.
White Clay Creek State Park
Phone - (302) 368.6900
Website - http://www.destateparks.com/wccsp/index.asp
Admission Fee - Yes, May to October
Directions - Newark, New Castle County; the main parking lot is in the Walter Carpenter, Jr. Recreation Area on New London Road (Route 896), three miles northwest of Newark. Parking is also available on Hopkins Road at the Chambers House Nature Center, on Chamber Rock Road and the end of Thompson Station Road at the Park Office. Possum Hill is located off Paper Mill Road (Route 72) between Polly Drummond Road and Possum Park Road. The Judge Morris Estate is on Polly Drummond Road.
The Park
William Penn bought most of this land in 1683 from Lenni Lenape Chief Kekelappen, who was believed to have lived here in Opasiskunk, the most important of the region’s “Indian Towns.” In 1968 White Clay Creek began life as a state park with 24 state-purchased acres of land. In 1984 the DuPont Company donated the land that would be the foundation for today’s park of 3,384 acres with another 1,253 adjoining acres across the state line in Pennsylvania.
The Walks
Take your pick from almost 40 miles of pristine trails. The Penndel Trail that connects the Pennsylvania and Delaware parks would win Best in Show for linear trails and the loops here are the best in the state. The 3-mile hardwood forest ramble in the Judge Morris Estate, the Long Loop at Possum Hill and the scenic 5-mile Twin Valley Loop at Carpenter Recreation area are all standouts.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Paw-friendly dirt and grass
Workout For Your Dog - Anytime you leave the White Clay Creek you’ll get your share of hills
Swimming - Yes, the Millstone Pond is as good as it gets and of course White Clay Creek
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
The Twin Valley Trail swings past the Arc Corner Monument marking one end of the 12-mile arc that forms the Pennsylvania-Delaware state line, unique in American political boundary making. The circular divide dates to William Penn’s directive of August 28, 1701. A half-mile to the west there is a monument marking the tri-state junction of Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. In Possum Hill you find a marker for the basepoint of the Mason-Dixon Line, the most famous surveying project in American history.
Woodlawn Trustees Property
Phone - None
Website - None
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Talleyville, New Castle County; there are no highway signs to direct you here and the parking lots are not marked. The main parking lot is opposite Peters Rock along the Brandywine on Creek Road. Other gravel lots can be found on Ramsey Road, Beaver Valley Road and opposite Woodlawn Road on Thompson’s Bridge Road (Route 92). Parking also in Brandywine Commons on Route 202.
The Park
From 1850 until 1910, feldspar, used in porcelain dishes and false teeth, was mined here in the Woodlawn Quarry. You can still see the remains of these spar pits, with their scatterings of mica and other minerals. In 1910, as his campaign to preserve the Brandywine Valley intensified, William Poole Bancroft bought hundreds of pristine acres in the lush floodplain and rolling woodlands where the Brandywine Creek makes three wide, gentle turns. Bancroft formed the Woodlawn Company to manage these lands, harboring some of the oldest trees in Delaware. Today, more than 2,000 acres are open to the public for recreational use - one of the greatest private gifts to canine hikers to be found anywhere.
The Walks
Many miles and many hours of canine hiking through an enticing mix of open fields and mature forests. Can also continue into Pennsylvania through active farms and long-gone homesteads. Watch for horses and bikes. No maps or navigational aids so come with a mind to explore.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Mostly dirt; some old farm roads
Workout For Your Dog - Hilly terrain
Swimming - The Brandywine Creek is wonderful
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
Breaking out of the woods at several points on the hilltops you are greeted with splendid views of Granogue, one of the American castles dotting the Brandywine Valley’s chateau lands.