Wonderful Adventure in Brandywine Creek State Park in Delaware

Brandywine Creek State Park is one of the beautiful parks in Delaware offering outdoor activities and fun for the whole family. The Park is three miles north of Wilmington, where Delaware routes 100 and 92 intersect. The actual address is Adams Dam Road in Winterthur, Delaware. Like all state parks in the state of Delaware, it is open from sunrise to sunset.

The history of Delaware is interesting, in that the du Pont family owned the entire State. Only Rhode Island is a smaller state than Delaware. Brandywine Sate Park was owned by the du Pont family and operated as a dairy farm. The Park has over 900 acres and is one of the first parks to be purchased through the Land and Water Conservation Fund in 1965, thereby becoming an official state park.

Activities at the Park

There are many outdoor activities that can be found in the Brandywine Creek State Park.

•Fishing – bluegill, small mouth bass, and crappie run in Brandywine Creek for those who love fresh water fishing. Fishing licenses and trout stamps are now required for fishing in Delaware.

•Kayaking – the Brandywine Creek flows from Chester County in Pennsylvania into the Christina River which is in the heart of Wilmington, DE. People can kayak from Route 842 and pull out 12.7 miles later in the Brandywine State Park. There are three small dams that can be spotted along the kayaking route. Canoeing and tubing are also available in the park.

•Disc Golf – a fun, easy activity for the whole family of any age and skill level can be played in the Park. The goal of the game is getting a disc into a chain basket that is located on a pole. Score is kept by the number of tosses it takes to get the disc in the basket. That is the score for the hole.

•Hiking - there are several beautiful hiking trails in the Park. The Cross County trail is 3.1 miles, Indian Springs Trail is 1.9 miles, Hidden Pond is 2.1 miles, Rocky Run is 1.9 miles, and Northern Delaware Greenway is a paved trail of 2.9 miles. Hiking in the Park is a serene adventure as the trails wander through beautiful settings full of wildlife-spotting and photography opportunities.

•Picnicking – the Park has picnic tables with small grills that are available on a first-come, first-served availability. There are also three pavilions that can be rented. The pavilions have large grills, and there are volley-ball courts and horseshoe pits. When the pavilions are rented game bags may also be rented. All state parks in Delaware are Carry-In, Carry-Out parks which means that no trash receptacles are available; take out whatever is bought in, including trash. Pets are not allowed in the picnic areas, but in the Park alcohol in cans or bottles are permitted.

•Mountain Biking trails – trails are accessible from the Thompson’s Bridge area only. Northern Delaware Greenway is a paved path running through the park, and mountain biking is allowed on trails that surround the Park that are owned by Woodlawn Trustees. Off-road bikes are not allowed in the Park.

•Cultural Programs – there are many cultural programs for children that are offered by the Brandywine Creek State Park, many aimed at children. Designer Snakes looks at the different snakes in the region, Discovering Night Skies teaches children about nine planets and the stars, Weather focuses on how changing weather affects people’s lives and Early American Culture and Technology teaches about ancient cultures and artifacts.

Registration is required for all cultural programs, and more information can be obtained by contacting the Park.

•Monthly Programs – there are monthly birdwalks, winter crafts, a nature explorer’s club, winter tree walk, hike and hot chocolate, groundhog program, and many other activities for adults and children.

There is always something of interest to do or see in Brandywine Creek State Park. Along with outdoor activities, there are two nature preserves in the Park. Tulip Tree Woods and Freshwater Marsh are great places to see songbirds, deer, flora and fauna, and wildflowers. There are even species of hawks migrating from mid-September to mid-November that can be seen flying over the park.

For more information about the Park and programs, visit the website at www.destatparks.com/park/brandywine-creek/index.asp