DELAWARE

Save for a couple of beaches in the height of the season you have to work hard to find a “No Dogs” sign anywhere in the First State. Of course, “day hike” is an aspirational phrase here. The seven-mile circumnavigation of Lums Pond is the longest trail in Delaware so “half-day” is more accurate. If you’re looking for traditional hiking with your dog through rolling wooded hills your list is vanishingly short - essentially White Clay Creek State Park, Brandywine Creek State Park, Middle Run Valley Natural Area, and…that’s it. Cape Henlopen is a primo Atlantic Ocean beach hike destination and Trap Pond pokes around the the northernmost natural stands of bald cypress trees in North America. Delaware Seashore State Park preserves miles of unspoiled dune-backed beaches and sun worshipers make this the most popular park in the First State. Delaware beaches do not end with the Atlantic Ocean. Canine explorers will find intriguing sand along the Rehoboth Bay (James Farm Ecological Park) and Indian River Bay (Holts Landing State Park). More hidden beaches are strung along Delaware Bay north of Lewes - Broadkill Beach, Beach Plum Island Nature Preserve, Fowler Beach. National wildlife refuges are often overlooked resources for canine hikers and both Bombay Hook and Prime Hook are paw-friendly here. Yes, you can take your dog anywhere in Delaware but you run out of destinations in a hurry.

The Best Day Hike You Can Take With Your Dog In Delaware

Dune Overlook Trail
Cape Henlopen State Park • Lewes

Cape Henlopen has the distinction of being one of the first parks in America: in 1682 Quaker overlord William Penn decreed that the lands would be for “the usage of the citizens of Lewes and Sussex County.” Today the park boasts more than 5,000 acres, including four miles of pristine beach where the Delaware Bay mingles water with the Atlantic Ocean. This is Delaware’s largest state park.

The primary destination for dog owners at Cape Henlopen is the 3.1- mile Dune Overlook Trail, located south of the pet-friendly campground. The loop is part natural surface, part paved road through pitch-pine corridors and past old fortifications built to bolster America’s coastal defenses during World War II.

Do not let Seaman skip the two short spur trails! One leads into the spartina marshes typical of the Delaware Bay estuary and the other is a romp for your dog onto the 80-foot Great Dune, the highest sand pile on the Atlantic shore between Cape Cod and Cape Hatteras.

A good way to explore the undeveloped sands is on the 1.8- mile Beach Loop Trail that begins opposite the parking lot in the southernmost section of the park and leads to overlooks of Gordon’s Pond Wildlife Area, a unique saltwater impoundment. The soft sand can make for heavy going so don’t hesitate to plop down on a dune for a rest. And there is always a chanceto play in the lively Atlantic Oceanwaves.

HIKING TIME: 2-3 hours

(from the book 300 Day Hikes To Take With Your Dog Before He Tires You Out: Trails where you won’t be able to wipe the wag off your dog’s tail)