DNREC’S Division of Parks & Recreation announces fee season to take effect in state parks on March 1

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation reminds visitors to Delaware’s state parks that entrance fees will be in effect starting Thursday, March 1 through Nov. 30, 2018.

Revenue generated from park entrance fees is used to manage 16 state parks and more than 26,000 acres of state park lands. Delaware’s state parks are primarily self-funded, with 65 percent of revenue to operate and maintain the parks generated by park users. The revenue is used for trail maintenance, environmental and recreational programs, visitor amenities, guarded beaches, management of campgrounds, cabins, and more.

Daily park entrance fees for vehicles registered in Delaware are $4 at inland parks and $5 at ocean parks. Fees for out-of-state vehicles are $8 at inland parks and $10 at ocean parks. Where fee attendants are not on duty, visitors should deposit the daily fee in the self-registration envelopes provided at park entrances and place them in the designated secured drop boxes.

Annual passes are a convenient way to access the parks for the entire fee season. A Delaware resident annual pass costs $35, and Delaware residents 62 and older will receive a discounted rate of $18. A $65 lifetime pass is available for Delawareans 65 and older. Reduced rates are also offered to Delawareans who receive public assistance, or who are active duty military or veterans. Active duty military personnel with an out-of-state license plate can purchase an annual pass at the in-state rate. Please visit www.destateparks.com for further information and requirements.

In addition, the corporate and group pass program offers participating businesses, nonprofits and other groups discounted annual passes for their employees. For more information, or to purchase corporate passes, please contact Caroline Foltz at caroline.foltz@delaware.gov.

Parks officials remind customers that annual passes and surf fishing permits can be purchased online to save time when they visit a park during fee season. Annual park passes may be purchased online at www.destateparks.com, at all park offices, at DNREC’s main office in the Richardson & Robbins building at 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, and at six retail locations. For more information, visit www.destateparks.com/fees/passes/index.asp.

Vol. 48, No. 39

Contact: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902


Cape Henlopen State Park campground closed to make way for improvements

LEWES – DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation announced today that the popular Cape Henlopen State Park campground has closed to make way for a third and final phase of improvements. Over the past three years, campground improvements have included new bathrooms and additional cabins. When the campground re-opens in June 2017, campers will see new electric hookups, a central path for pedestrian access, new walk-in sites, improved roadways and a new camp store, projects most requested by campers in recent surveys.

The total cost for this final phase is $3.5 million, half of which is covered by a federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grant. The remainder comes from 2017 state bond bill funds.

“With the aid of the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grant, the division is in the home stretch for completing significant upgrades to all of our state park campgrounds,” said Delaware State Parks Director Ray Bivens. “This concentrated, three-year effort has brought modern bathrooms, extremely popular cabins and fewer paved surfaces to the campground, making it more eco-friendly.

“When Cape Henlopen’s campground re-opens next spring, campers can enjoy numerous improvements and amenities,” Bivens said. “Wide asphalt roads currently used for RV setups will become one lane with one-way circulation, and concrete pads added for RVs. New walk-in sites will be constructed for campers, similar to those at other popular sites including Trap and Killens Pond state parks, and a limited number of newly-constructed pull-through and drive-in campsites will include electric and water hookups. And the new camp store is an amenity that campers have long requested.”

After multiple years of construction in Cape Henlopen, Lums Pond and Killens Pond state parks, Bivens said the division is prepared to meet the wide array of needs of today’s tent, cabin and RV campers. From primitive camping with no campsite amenities, to three-point hook-up service at 70 sites in Lums Pond Pond State Park, 88 campsites with full hookup service at the North Inlet of Delaware Seashore State Park, upgrades to electric with 50-amp service in two loops at Killens Pond State Park and bathhouse renovations at Trap Pond State Park, state park campgrounds have been modernized to service the camping public.

As construction continues through the fall and winter, parks officials encourage campers to enjoy the state parks system’s other 811 campsites and 32 cabins. The variety of camping experiences in state parks runs the gamut from primitive tent camping to luxury cottages. Delaware State Parks also feature more than 100 miles of trails for hiking and biking, rivers and lakes for boating, and historic and recreational programs.

Fall foliage is especially spectacular in state parks. Campers and other parks visitors can hike the trails or kayak in Trap Pond State Park to capture a stunning spectrum of red and orange colors from the bald cypress, red maple, tupelo and sassafras trees that dot the shoreline and forests. At Killens and Lums Pond state parks, it’s the golden and red hues of the hickory, red maple and black gum that transform the woods into flames of color throughout the month of October. It’s also a great time of year to walk the coastal trails at Delaware Seashore and Cape Henlopen state parks. Campers can also enjoy walking the trails at nearby Burtons Island, Thompsons Island and Fresh Pond.

As DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation celebrates its 65th anniversary, and its winning the 2016 National Gold Medal award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, the division has measured a 19 percent increase in overnight visits from 2014 to 2015, as camping has become more popular for vacationing.

Delaware State Parks offers a list of events as well as promotional opportunities available throughout the year with weekly and seasonal discounts for campers. To take advantage of these special offers, visit destateparks.com and look for instructions to sign up for the monthly e-newsletter and weekly promotional offers. In addition, visit the website to make a reservation or call the state park call center at 1-877-98-PARKS.

Contact: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 337


Delaware State Parks announces ‘Kickstarter’ campaign for funds to build new cabins in Cape Henlopen State Park

DOVER – Delaware State Parks and Cape Henlopen State Park have kicked off a fundraising campaign this month through Kickstarter.com to raise money for new camping cabins at the popular beach vacation spot.

Kickstarter, a popular crowdfunding site, boasts a global community built around creative projects where people from around the world can find the resources needed to transform ideas into reality. To date, tens of thousands of projects – big and small – have come to life with the support of the Kickstarter community.

DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation Director Ray Bivens is hopeful that backers will help fund the project, giving the gift of great family memories to more Cape Henlopen State Park visitors at an affordable price. “I am always happy to hear visitors tell me they look forward to bringing their family to our parks each year, spending camping trips with us as their annual family vacation,” Bivens said. “We are proud of this Kickstarter campaign as it will increase the opportunity for more families to share in an enjoyable, educational, relaxing and most of all, affordable vacation.”

Delaware State Parks made the decision to add additional camping cabins to the park after realizing the popularity the original six cabins saw during the peak season in 2015. “With a 97 percent occupancy rate and more than 1,500 people enjoying the cabins last year, we saw a need to give more visitors the opportunity to enjoy what Cape Henlopen has to offer,” said Cape Henlopen State Park Manager Paul Faircloth. “According to last year’s numbers and the projected numbers for 2016, these cabins will allow us to host around 2,000 people throughout the peak season.”

Campaign backers who have yet to secure plans for Memorial Day weekend will have the opportunity for special rewards by donation levels. A $500 donor, for example, would enjoy being the first to stay in the new cabins over Memorial Day Weekend. Other rewards include annual park passes, a week-long stay in the new cabins and even the opportunity to be “Parks Superintendent for the Day” at Cape Henlopen, including a behind-the-scenes tour with Director Bivens.

Contributions can be made to the campaign at www.Kickstarter.com until Wednesday, May 11 by searching “Cape Henlopen Camping Cabins.”

For more information about Delaware State Parks, the Kickstarter campaign or camping in the parks, please visit www.destateparks.com.

Media Contact: Caroline Foltz, Enterprise Development Coordinator, Delaware State Parks, 302-739-9185, Caroline.Foltz@delaware.gov

Vol. 46, No. 149