Hiking and Biking, The Delaware State Parks are Nice... (woodpecker, parking)

[DelawareLiz]

We're headed to Trap Pond today for some biking and fall foliage. I LOVE their unamed five-mile loop trails. Hope I can snag some good pics while I'm there!

[Legendof302]

Originally Posted by pete lynch

I like the David English Trail at White Clay Creek SP. You can take a nice side-hike on the Charles Bailey trail up to the old railroad bridge at the PA state line.

The Blue Goose trail at Primehook NWR is a good one too.

If you hike the "Un-named Multi-use trail" at Trap Pond SP, take a hike across Wooten road for a walk through the dense woods on the south side of that road via the rough, single track trail there.

Yes, I agree the David English trail in White Clay Creek is very nice, I did that trail on both Foot and Bike during the summer. And your right about the Charles Bailey Trail that connects to the trails up in PA also.

Where is the Blue Goose trail?

[pete lynch]

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge - U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Head south on route 1 and turn Left at route 16 towards Broadkill Beach. Follow the signs.

Park at the headquarters parking lot and follow the Boardwalk trail until you reach the boardwalk. A left turn puts you on the Blue Goose trail. After you pass Turkles Pond there will be a fork in the trail that will lead to several connecting spurs of the Black Farm trail. Follow any of them to loop back to the headquarters parking lot.

[Caladium]

LOL liz, have you ever been tempted to name one of the trails (little nicknames just for your own amusement)? We did that once, and to our surprise one of the names actually caught on and got put on a sign.

[DelawareLiz]

Yes, it is tempting to name the trails!! We ventured on to one no-name trail yesterday and it wound up leading to a back road around Trap Pond; it was Trussum Pond Road. It made for a longer bike ride than expected, but that's o.k. .

[Legendof302]

Has anyone been to Ridley Creek State Park before?

Its not far into PA from concord pike...

PA*DCNR*-*Ridley Creek State Park

Maybe next spring for me....

[DelawareLiz]

Never been to Ridley Creek...sounds nice though.

I found some new trails in Ocean View that I never knew about until yesterday! You'd think that I would have discovered every trail possible given I bike ride and walk around Ocean View and surrounding areas constantly--and I'm rather nosy . My husband and I went walking in Bay Forest (newer development) yesterday and we saw a trail. Of course, I insisted on checking it out even though we don't live there. The residents know me there though since I often ride my bike. Well, it was a really nice trail that had a few different paths you could take. We took one that actually linked Bay Forest to Bethany Bay. And--we discovered a hidden pond which I never knew existed. It's hidden in the woods and called Emerald Pond. I was thinking it would just be some algae infested, overrated mud hole, but NO! It was literally CRYSTAL clear and green! Not mucky, no algae....like something out of a tropical paradise. I thought I was in Florida's Gulf of Mexico. O.k., so a woman can dream. But STILL!! The pond was large and there were trails all around it. The hiking trails were about three miles long total throughout Bay Forest and connecting to Bethany Bay--very impressive! And all this less than a mile from my house. I literally felt like I was in the middle of a dense forest; it was very reclusive and we only saw one other person on the trail. These trails and Emerald Pond can also be accessed through Bethany Bay. I was just so tickled to find this so close to my home! Hunting is prohibited there so these trails can be enjoyed any time. Not knocking hunters (MANY in my family), but I don't care to walk where shooting or archery is nearby.

Today, I decided to bike every last trail at Delaware Seashore State Park Fresh Pond. It was such a perfect day for it too. Many people are not aware that this park has some great trails so here is a link below:

http://www.destateparks.com/download...-pond-2009.pdf

[pete lynch]

I hiked the main loop a while back. It's actually a two lollipops on the map but if you start on the eastern trail just past the info board and after reaching the end you cut along the shore a little ways you connect to the western trail/track.Then it's a loop!
When I took the big right turn on the western trail, I was a bit surprised to see that big rusted-out building there. Lots of crickets out the day I visited and oddly, I saw and heard only a few birds.
It's nice but it's what I call a one-and-done trail. Once you've hiked there you don't feel compelled to return. Off to newer or un-hiked trails.

The map in that pdf has been changed since I downloaded it a few months ago. There were two distinct trails with two connecting trails. You continued close to the waters edge on the eastern trail until you reached the bay but in this new one it shows a loop at the 2nd connecting trail and only a spur to the bay.

[DelawareLiz]

I saw the building yesterday--still plenty of crickets there too. It appears to be an old barn or stall of some sort. There's still bales of straw in there as well.

I like using the park as a shortcut to route one. There is now a "new" trail off of Fred Hudson Road which leads right into the park. I am really enjoying that new trail; it is heavily wooded and then leads into a field. Gives me something new to explore.

[DelawareLiz]

In case others are wondering what the heck this building is we're talking about, I have included some pics taken in mid-September: