Cape Henlopen State Park (Delaware)

I have a brief photoessay to introduce you to a sleepy little place that never gets very crowded.  It's a place that makes a great family vacation.  It's also a place that's great for anyone who enjoys the outdoors and/or history.  My kids, my husband, and I spent 6 hours at Cape Henlopen State Park on Friday and loved exploring and enjoying it's beach and trails.  If you live in DE, NJ, MD, PA, or VA ... it is a trip well worth the drive!  Yes, there's gas and tolls, but for the $4 (well, $8 for non-residents) to get into the park ... load up your kids and their gear for a day of fun!  If you want to stay and enjoy two days, reserve a camping space for $24 a night!

Here's a little background for the scholarly amongst us:

Cape Henlopen was essentially the first lands in our country to be designated as "public lands" when William Penn proclaimed that the Cape and its natural resources would be for the common usage of the residents of Lewes (city) and Sussex County.  Aside from its role in local shipping history, it also held an important military role as well.  From the start of WWII, the US Army established a military base at Cape Henlopen in 1941.  Bunkers and gun emplacements were well camoflaged amongst the dunes and concrete observation towers were built along the coast to spot enemy ships.  In 1964 the Dept. of Defense declared the 543 acres as surplus property which the State of Delaware then accepted and turned into Cape Henlopen State Park.

Here's a little bit of info for those who want to know just what this place has to offer:

Today the park has expanded to include a total of 5,193 acres that contain a wealth of natural beauty.  Aside from its attractive bay and ocean beaches, it also offers a saltwater impoundment, a Great Dune, "walking dunes" that move amongst the pine forests, and a broad salt marsh.  The park has miles of hiking trails as well as biking trails, interpretive displays, an 18-hole disc golf course, basketball courts, scenic overlooks fashioned from bunkers, and even a renovated concrete observation tower for a spectacular panoramic view of the Cape.  And all of this rests along an 8-mile stretch of the Atlantic Ocean.  To learn more about Cape Henlopen State Park, CLICK HERE.

View of the Atlantic Ocean beyond the dunes, pine trees, and the cannon track.

A north-facing view of the beach at Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware.  This was
taken at about 4 PM on a Friday afternoon.  High tide was just starting to come in (6 pm).
The water was a beautiful 61 degrees .... brrrrrrrrr!!!


This was the best thing I've ever found at a beach before.  It's a FULGURITE ... it is formed
when lightning strikes the sand and, in that moment, melts the sand and minerals around
the strike to form an 'outline' of the strike.  Bearing in mind that lightning is 4 times hotter
than the surface of the sun, it's not hard to imagine that this coud happen.  This specimen
is about 6" long, appears rusty (no doubt from the iron content in the sand) and has more
rounded extremities due to the erosion of rolling around on the beach.  It is basically glass
with a small hollow center ... so I'll have to pack it VERY carefully to get it to my step-dad in
California next month (he's a geologist)!!!  My daughter got tons of beautiful shells that will
be strung and made into jewelry (thanks to hubby's Dremmel, of course), but I still like this
beauty better.  It's almost like holding electricity in your hands!