Cape Henlopen State Park

After several trips to Cape Henlopen, we’re still making discoveries! This last trip, we went clam digging near the fishing pier, rented bikes and even a trailer (for FREE) at the nature center and rode around the whole park. Also saw dolphins from the beach, just swimming around in the ocean like NBD.
The bathrooms at the campgrounds also have undergone some serious upgrades since my last review, and are quite nice. There are three total bathhouses but I only personally saw what two of them were like… So one bathroom building, near site 53, was completely reconfigured to become 8 separate toilet/​sink/​shower rooms that was really nicely done and I could see it being very easy to use for a family or someone who wants complete privacy. Another bathhouse near site 118 and the cabins is configured more traditionally with a series of toilet stalls, followed by a series of shower stalls… but it also appeared to have newer toilets and countertops, at least on the women’s side.
The sites are still pretty squished together, but I noticed an announcement that the campsites are going to be completely revamped at the end of this summer, in time for summer 2017… so that’s exciting! Maybe they will be less crowded together.
A couple of other notes and tips about the campgrounds… the trees make for good hammock-​hanging locations, there’s a picnic table and firepit on every site and I think each firepit here has a grill grate built in, some of the sites are really slanted, firewood is sold onsite for $ 6.50 a bundle, there’s no dishwashing station, pets are allowed but have to remain leashed, the beach is quite a ways away from the campgrounds so we usually drive there.
Overall a great park with enough to keep people busy, plus it’s a short drive to downtown historic Lewes where you should stop at Kings ice cream shop.

The park was nice, the towers and guns were really cool. Although some of the towers were falling apart but still open. The beach wasn’t too busy. We stayed at the campsite which was what you’d expect from a campsite on the beach. Close together, some weird people, some nice people, mostly everyone keeping to themselves. Definitely not a place to party around the campfire (quiet by 10). There were some nice walking trails, we walked the dunes for a while, found a bunker covered in sand, and a random chimney sticking out of the sand which was interesting.
We stayed the weekend after July 4^th weekend. I think we camped for 3 days. When we got there, the bathrooms were horrendous. I’m talking feces all over the toilet, trash cans full to the brim, and no toilet paper. We won’t discuss the smell. The bathroom wasn’t cleaned for multiple days. I was so thankful I brought my own toilet paper.
Need to take a shower? That’s what the ocean is for.
Be prepared to be attacked by bugs constantly at the camp site. It didn’t drive me crazy but it was a bit annoying. That’s the camping life for you.

The biting flies were awful. Go anywhere else. Couldn’t hike with dog because of the flies. Beach is beautiful.

Delaware State Parks won the top state parks system in the nation in 2015, and Cape Henlopen is a shining example of that. The park has an incredibly long-​standing history, remarkable and understated war history in its Fort Miles interpretive programs, underground battery and series of well-​kept artifacts, and stands as one of the most unique scenic areas in the state.
The best time to visit is anytime outside of peak season. It is well-​known as a tourist destination in the summer, with its camping and beaches. I often prefer checking it out in the fall, winter and spring. Without the mass crowds, it’s a great place to enjoy a peaceful beach stroll, a scenic bike ride, a family outing at the nature center, or simply an afternoon to picnic and hang out.
If you have a day, try out the borrow-​a-​bike program, generally open 9 am — 3 pm, seasonally, with slightly extended hours in the summer. Volunteer run program through the nature center, where you can borrow bikes for free to roam the park for a few hours.
Also worthwhile is the Gordon’s Pond trail, a newly renovated trail with several constructed boardwalks meandering through an open marsh area. Many of the other trails, like the salt marsh trail, are great for hiking, and generally are lightly traveled.
The great feature of the park, outside of the beach, dunes and salt marsh, is the point, or the actual tip of the ‘cape.’ It is closed March 1 to September 1, usually to sanctify the federally protected land for the vulnerable piping plovers. The point is vast and provides great views all around. You are literally standing on the edge of the continent.
It has been considered for NPS designation, but with its still slight hidden-​treasure feel, the state park remains a gem within the first state.

5++
Happened to be in the Lewes area for New Years and unexpectedly saw a posting for a squid dissection. What?! Had to go.
Day of, there was an issue and the scheduled dissection was canceled after we arrived. Fortunately, the worker there was SUPER helpful and provided us with details of other things to try. She also said we could come back by later and we might be able to see the squids.
We borrowed three bikes and pedaled down some trails. WHAT A GREAT TIME! Who knew there was a park with free bikes to borrow? Awesome.
We climbed up into an observation tower and checked out the military history items too. The barracks and guns make for great photo opportunities.
We’re so pleased we found this park. Plus, we did get to see a squid! And, a toadfish and a burrfish (super cute). Although there aren’t a lot of fish tanks, they are well appointed and well cared for which is most important.

I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. Great fishing, great beaches. I love bringing my dog here

Beautiful beach! Very clean and the bath houses are very convienent. Check out the WWII observation tower (a bit of a climb but we’ll worth it) for breathtaking 360 views of the park. There is also a bike trail. We saw lots of freely roaming deer and their young here as well. Cant wait to visit again!

It’s tough to give a fair star-​rating to this park because the grounds themselves are quite nice — the trails are fantastic, the pier is great for fishing (even if the only thing you catch are horseshoe crabs), and the beaches are perfect for leisurely walks without the crowds you’d find at the more popular beaches further south. Overall, it’s a great place to visit for a day-​trip.
Camping, however, is a different story. The campsites are right on top of one another and completely covered in those spikey seed-​pod things, the fire pits are in various states of maintenance, and the mosquitoes will absolutely eat you alive. Don’t even think about staying up past 10PM, either. If you want to build a fire (who who doesn’t?) you have to buy their firewood, which is apparently priced by the mafia. Your and your campmates want to tell ghost stories around the fire while listening to the iPod at a low level? Nope, you can forget about that. Ranger Rick will put the kibbosh on that in a heartbeat, and they aren’t playing. If you’re a senior citizen, or married w/​kids who go to bed early, and you don’t mind covering yourself head to toe in insect repellent, camping here would be OK, but if you’re under the age of 50 and want to stay up past 10PM, it’s probably best to find another place to stay.

One of my favorite state parks in Delaware. They don’t really have trails like you are used to in White Clay Creek SP but Henlopen has a historic value and scenic views. You can even climb up in a WWII tower for an awesome panoramic view.
Also there a Hawk Watch (only other one in Delaware is at the Delaware Nature Society’s headquarters is located at the Ashland Nature Center, located in Hockessin, Delaware.) It is sort of cool to be able to drive less than 2 hours south in Delaware and there are completely different birds (brown headed nuthatches).
They have miles of beach and I feel like it’s not as crowded as your main beaches (Rehoboth, Dewey and alike). There are a lot more things they have, that I am just not listing.
Check out the state park website for Delaware.
I love this park and go as often as I can.

We went on two ranger-​led talks. The first was a birding walk led by Kathleen, a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. Despite the windy and cloudy conditions, we saw about a dozen different types of birds. The second was a full moon hike led by Richard, a very knowledgeable and entertaining guide. The moon cooperated and came out eventually, and it was fun walking around in the park at night. We also learned about how animal behaviors change based on the amount of light available, and got to try out our own sense of smell, hearing, and sight. Both walks are highly recommended.

This park is very aesthetically pleasing, and it seems well maintained, so I’m a bit sad I’m giving it an average review; despite being beautiful this place has some problems.
My goal of this trip was not so much traipsing through nature as it was finding a convenient swimming beach. Having never been to this park I plugged in the Gordons Pond entrance due to its proximity to Rehoboth Beach. I was extremely disappointed when, after I had paid and parked, and hauled all my belongings up to the beach, that I noticed it was an unguarded beach. There were no signs at the entrance of the park denoting that the entrance was inaccessible to a swimming beach. I thought I would be able to get in my car and drive through the park to get to the Lewes side, but that was impossible. No road connects the Rehoboth side to the Lewes side, and so I was stuck going back through the crowded highways to get to the proper side. After re-​reading their website it did state that the main swimming beach was accessible from the Lewes side; perhaps it is my fault for not researching properly, but the fact that there is little signage pointing visitors in the right way and no through path through the park from one entrance to another is very inconvenient.
Once I did find the correct entrance the signage was still extremely vague. The arrows are curved and confusing, and I feared getting lost once again. Luckily I managed to find the swimming beach, which of course, was mobbed. The bath houses (the very thing that drew me here) were filthy and over crowded. An expansion is much needed.
All that being said, this place was gorgeous and managed to enchant me. I get the feeling it is better to come here for hiking and bike riding than swimming, so I plan on doing just that. If you’re unfamiliar with the park, I definitely suggest planning ahead and making sure you know the layout of the park before arrival. In the summer if you want to fight the crowds to swim give it a shot, at least it will be something nice to see.

We really enjoyed our visit to Cape Henlopen State Park. The women collecting admission at the front gate were very friendly and welcoming.
We visited Ft. Miles and climbed the observation tower. We also visited the nature center and it was a pleasant surprise. Our brood of kiddies (ages 6,5, and 4) really enjoyed seeing the fish and the tank with the horseshoe crabs.
We then visited the beach. We ate at the snack bar and the food wasn’t bad for a beach concession, although a little pricey. One negative: I understand that it is a «carry in, carry out» park. We are totally on board with that. HOWEVER, you have a concession stand but you have no way of disposing of the trash for things purchased there. In other words: we did not carry it in. We bought it there. Please provide trash cans for food purchased at YOUR facility. It should not be up to me to eat and then carry out waste onto the beach with us.
In the end, the young man behind the counter understood how illogical it was and took our trash and threw it away for us.
The beach itself was lovely. We were a large party: 6 adults and 4 young children and although there were a lot of people on the beach, we didn’t have to walk very far to get a nice patch of sand that wasn’t too far from shore and could accommodate our party.
The surf wasn’t too rough and the kids could play close the edge of the sand.
Also, the bathrooms were nice and clean so that was a big plus.
Overall, a nice beach and I would definitely return if I come back to the area.

Dog-​friendly beaches, bike trails, campsites, fishing pier & air stations for pumping up your tires. If you have 4-​wheel drive, fishing rods & the beach vehicle pass you can drive your car onto the beach. Think you let air out of your tires down to about 5 or 10 psi, so it’s nice having air pumps handy.
People are nice & considerate when playing their music. There’s plenty of room to spread out without being on top of each other. It’s more family-​friendly than Rehobeth. I have such a great time & so does the poochie!
The ferry to Cape May is close by too. You can drive your car on or just do the foot traffic ride. There are also stores close by to rent chairs, umbrellas & so forth.

We had an awesome time at this beautiful and clean park. This is our favorite park on the East coast. We enjoyed admiring dolphins playing in the waves, the fine yellow sand on the pretty beach, the horseshoe crabs, the guarded beach, the WW2 remains, the free bicycling program with helmets on their well-​maintained tracks, the friendly staff, the clean restrooms, etc. The park had a wide range of bicycles to cater different needs. Our toddler had fun riding the bike in his co-​pilot seat.
It was easy and free to park.
The daily entrance fee was $ 10 for out-​of-​state residents.

This is a beautiful state park. It has just about everything:
Beautiful beach — several
Changing area with bathroom and shower — yes
Concession area with better than average food — yes
History — Fort Miles
Camping areas — several, all different
Dog friendly — yes you can bring them almost everywhere
Fishing — both bay and ocean
Natural wonder — aplenty
Hiking trails — yes
Bike trails — yes
Commercial zone — none — Yea!
This park is situated at the point where the Delaware River & Bay meet the Atlantic Ocean. The point changes with every storm.
Fort Miles is worth its own visit. WW2 coastal defense. You can’t miss the tall round lookout towers. And lots of real artillery. I strongly recommend the guided tour of the fully restored Battery 519.

Awesome. Pay 10 bucks to have not that many people and they have showers and closed changing rooms

Let me start off this review with the same advice I give everyone who heads out to the beach here with me:
For a pleasant stay, do not google the words «shark attack» and «cape henlopen». Then you should be fine.
For the longest time, I neglected the state parks of Delaware, until I did a summer share in Rehobeth and discovered Cape Henlopen was like the Delaware version of Assateague. I actually would have never thought of going to Cape Henlopen, until a group of East of Maui employees brought me out here. This is one of the places I love to camp at on the beach, basically because it’s one of the few that has campsites available in the summer that aren’t booked six months in advance. It’s also a great place for a day trip.
Here are a couple of pluses to Cape Henlopen
–Campground has convenient bathrooms, and cabins available so it’s not just tent camping. Camping rates and reservations are here:
. They vary by season/​and weekday vs. weekend.
–MILES and MILES of bike/​walking trails through gorgeous wetlands. This might be the biggest advantage to the whole park. Don’t have a bike? You can walk these trails but I’ll just run you over with my pink beach cruiser or for the bike less, they actually have large shed/​barn type thing next to the visitors center. Trust me, you want to do the bike trails here. It’s not strenuous, since it is mostly flat and half the time you’re riding over boardwalks, the scenery is incredible along Gordons Pond trail. It’s apparently great for bird watchers and you’ll see a lot of osprey.
–Great fishing pier and shop (where you can buy a license), which is temporarily closed. I went fishing here for the first time, and had a blast. Managed to catch pretty much nothing though.
–Several beaches to go to within a short distance.
–Yelper Olivia D is absolutely right that the campers and fishers here are either rednecks or Korean church groups. It made for interesting campfire songs, which you will hear cause the campsites are right on top of each other. Let me tell you, one of these groups always has beer and they are pretty generous with it and the other group really likes Creed. Bring ear plugs.
–The greatest advantage to camping out or hanging out here is the proximity to other activities, should nature or listening to Creed gets to be too much. The Cape May-​Lewes Ferry is just a short bike ride away too. The Rehobeth boardwalk is 2 miles away. Nearby Lewes has a couple great bars and restaurants.
Disadvantages
–The whole Creed thing and the campsites being close together.
–Sharks

I love this campground.
Have been coming since the summer of 1999 and it never seizes to disappoint.
The campground itself has adequate bathrooms, water spickets throughout, and staff who help keep the area clean. Some campsites are better then others in terms of size and privacy, the back bend towards the path to the beach is probably the best.
The beach is great! If you are willing to swim in the unguarded part it is never too crowded on weekdays, sometimes on weekends due to fishing vehicles. And it is just a short bike ride or walk from the campground. There is also the guarded beach which is a little further up, has a parking lot, is accessible via the walking/​bike path, and has a beach house with food/​bathrooms.
Within the park you’ll also find WW2 era remnants such as an observation tower open for climbing, old barracks, large weapons on display, and they are currently renovating one of the old Batteries, check out a tour during the summer!
There’s a nature center where you can find information on the various park programs such as kayaking from the fishing pier, bike borrowing program (it’s free!), ghost crab walks, and more! Also have some marine life and gifts.
The campground is extremely family friendly and a great, much cheaper, option then staying in a hotel or rental home. If you enjoy camping or want to try it out I recommend the stay! Or if you are staying in the area the park is worth checking out, in state residents are 4 bucks a day and out of state are 8!

Wide, clean beach. Better than the Jersey Shore because you only have to pay $ 8 per car instead of $ 9 per person to be admitted to Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. The water was not too cold on the day I went.
We staked out a nice spot and didn’t feel too crowded in. You can rent umbrellas and chairs if you need to. This beach allows cars and dogs on on leashes. Some of the cars were driving too fast on the beach.
There weren’t too many kids on this beach but my kids had a good time there. You have to bring your own food and drinks as there are no concessions at this part of the beach. Another part of Cape Henlopen Park that is about a mile away from where I went does have concessions but it’s much more crowded at that beach.
In all it was a fun day at the beach and I would go there again.

It’s a nice state park to do just about anything you’d want to do in a park. There are a number of hiking trails, a paved biking trail, places to fish, camp, swim, bbq, and kayak. There’s an abandoned WWII fort and observation tower you can explore or just a fields where you can do whatever. Parking is $ 8/​day for out of state residents. Kayaks, bikes, and fishing equipment can be rented here for reasonable prices if you’re not bringing your own (permits required for crabbing/​fishing).
I came here to hike and was a little disappointed as there wasn’t much to hike through (most of the land here is flat and sandy with sporadic evergreen trees) and I came a day after a storm so there were a ton of mosquitoes. The fishing pier was long and faced a lighthouse you could easily kayak to and was right by a beach, bathrooms, store, and parking lot, so that seemed like the center of activities for the park.
Best of all is that the park is right by the Cape May/​Lewes Ferry so it’s really easy to get to from lower NJ.