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10 STATE PARKS & WILDLIFE
2019
For more information or camping reservations:
Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation
877-98-PARKS www.destateparks.com
Baldcypress Nature Center (Trap Pond)
302-875-5163
33587 Baldcypress Ln, Laurel
In addition to the natural attractions, Trap Pond offers a variety of recreational activities. The Baldcypress Nature Center features a variety of displays and programs that will enhance any visit to the park.
Picnic areas overlook the pond and three pavilions may be reserved for group events. Volleyball courts and horseshoe pits encourage active competition among friends, and children will enjoy the playground complex.
Nanticoke Wildlife Area
302-875-2157
Seaford
The Nanticoke River, like the Pocomoke, drains
into the Chesapeake Bay. In 1993 the Maryland Department of Natural Resources purchased a 1,700- acre tract along the Nanticoke to help conserve the wildlife habitats found along this mostly tidal river.
Deer hunters will enjoy the plentiful deer populations found here. Mourning doves, cottontail rabbits, bobwhitequail,woodcock,andwaterfowlhuntingare also available. A special license is needed to hunt wild turkey. A peninsula jutting from the area into the river offers a scenic hike, which may include bird watching and nature photography.
Redden State Forest
302-856-2893
18074 Redden Forest Dr, Georgetown
Delaware’s largest state forest totaling over 12,400-acres. With over 44 miles of trails, the 18 tracts of Redden State Forest are popular for hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, and bird watching. Redden’s large timbered tracts are also ideal for deer hunting. It also contains a natural resource education facility, formerly a historic carriage house.
he displays reflect the variety in Trap Pond’s environment and in the animals, bugs, and other creatures that call this state park home.
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Trap Pond State Park
302-875-5153 Campground–887-987-2757 33587 Baldcypress Ln, Laurel
Freshwater wetlands once covered a large portion of southwestern Sussex County. Trap Pond State Park retains a part of the swamp’s original beauty and mystery, and features the northernmost natural stand of baldcypress trees in the United States. The pond was created in the late 1700s to power a sawmill during the harvest of large baldcypress from the area. The Federal Government later purchased the pond and surrounding farmland during the 1930s and the CivilianConservationCorpsbegantodevelopthearea for recreation. Trap Pond became one of Delaware’s first state parks in 1951.
Visitors have many opportunities to explore the natural beauty of the wetland forest. Hiking trails surround the pond providing opportunities to glimpse native animal species and many flowering plants. Birdwatching is a popular activity and the observant hiker may spot a Great Blue Heron, owl, hummingbird, warbler, Bald Eagle, or the elusive Pileated Woodpecker.
Boating is also a favorite pastime at the park. Rowboats, pedal boats, surf bikes, canoes, and kayaks can be rented during the summer season, and the park interpreter hosts narrated pontoon boat tours on weekends and holidays, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. A boat-launching ramp can accommodate small-motorized boats for fishing or scenic excursions.
Anglers on the water or shore may land largemouth bass, pickerel, crappie, and bluegills. One of the streams that flow into Trap Pond has been marked as a wilderness canoe trail for those who wish to explore the swamp’s interior.
In addition to the natural attractions, the park offers a variety of recreational activities. Experience the wonders of southern woodlands along the 4.9 mile Boundary Trail that skirts the park’s 90-acre pond.
Trap Pond
STATE PARKS & WILDLIFE