Start the New Year in one of the State parks with a First Day Hike! Check into the Welcome Station listed for each event to register and get your First Day Hike magnet or sticker (while supplies last). This is also a chance to get started on the Passport Program available at all Delaware State Parks. The program has participants record 25 of 31 park challenges. Some of the challenges are Go on a guided hike, attend a lantern tour, or volunteer at a nature center. All things that are family fun and get you out in nature a bit more. Here is a list of First Day Hikes in and around Sussex County.
Cape Henlopen State Park 9am-10:30am
Check in at the Welcome Station located at The Point Overlook.
This 2-mile hike is recommended for children 5 and older and is not handicap accessible.
No Pets are permitted on this section of the trials.
Pre-registration is required.
Cape Henlopen Nature Center 10am-noon
Stop by the Nature Center and pick up a map for your self-guided tour. No registration is required.
Delaware Seashore Park 3:30pm-5-15pm * 4:15 send-off
Check in at the Welcome Station located at the North Inlet parking lot.
This 1-mile hike is easy for the littlest explores given that it’s paved and good for strollers as well as wheelchairs. It is handicap accessible. Pets are permitted on this trail but must be on a maximum of a 6-foot leash. No registration is required.
Trap Pond State Park 9:45am-noon * 10 am send-off
Check in at the Welcome Station located at the Baldcypress Nature Center.
The American Holly Trail is an easy 1.1-mile trail consisting of gravel pathways good for strollers. The trail offers several educational stops and The Nature Center is fully handicap accessible. Pets are allowed as long as they’re on a maximum leash of 6 feet. No registration is required.
Killen Pond State Park 1pm-2pm
Check in at the Welcome Station located at the Sports Complex parking lot.
Choose from two different trails and enjoy the Nature Center from noon to 2pm. The Bike Trail is an easy 1.5-mile trail that is handicap accessible and stroller friendly. The Cross-Country Trail is a moderate 1.5-mile trail that is not handicap accessible. Pets are allowed on both trials as long as they are on a maximum leash of 6 feet. No registration is required.
Fort Miles Historical Area -located in Cape Henlopen State Park- 9am-9:45am/10am-11am
Check in at the Welcome Station located at Artillery Park.
Artillery Park is an easy .25-mile hike that is pet-friendly for four-legged friends on a maximum 6-foot leash and handicap accessible. You can jump onto the Pinelands Trail which is 1.5-miles long, not handicap accessible and not recommended for pets.
Space is limited so Pre-registration is required.
Please note that some trails, while not designated handicap accessible, are all-terrain stroller friendly. Our family has done The Walking Dunes Trail, Salt Marsh Spur, and Gordons Pond Trail (to name a few) with our steel frame, all-terrain wheels, strollers.
Love this local article? Share!
Be sure to subscribe to the Macaroni Kid newsletter so you receive great content like this and more directly in your inbox each week.
Don’t see your event on here? Emailmackidsussex@macaronikid.com
