Top 12 Extreme Hiking Trails in Delaware [Update 2024]

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Delaware, the land of natural wonders and awe-inspiring scenery, offers a variety of hiking trails, whether hikers are looking for a peaceful stroll through wooded parks, a wonderful promenade along the beautiful coastline of Delaware’s bays, or a more demanding excursion across hills and mountains.

If you are looking for the most wanted hiking trails in Delaware, I bet you have come to the right place. 

1. The Cape Henlopen Beach Trail

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The Cape Henlopen Beach Trail

The 4.6 miles of stretching route may be accomplished with less work than you’re used to, regardless of your pace, because it’s such a beautiful walk. This track is suitable for dedicated hikers or equestrian riders who love the outdoors.

As it whizzes by you on a visually appealing adventure in a location where cargo ships and World War II antiques are stashed away among the dunes, discover a whole new reason to fall in love with the beach.

2. Bob Trail

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Bob Trail is one of the best hiking trails in Delaware

The Bob is an apt name for this 4.6-mile gravel trail that is both enjoyable and unassuming.

The footpath, named after local trail winner Bob Venables, displays the beauty of Delaware’s non-beach side. In Traps Pond State Park, the hiking trail in Delaware runs through a hardwood woodland and across boardwalk bridges through a cypress swamp.

Warblers, kingfishers, and marsh harriers woodpeckers are regularly seen along the walk, so birdwatchers should bring their binoculars. The route goes by the Trap Pond campground, which provides for a great weekend base camp, and links to the park’s half-mile National Holly Trail.

3. Hagley Museum’s Historical Loop

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Hagley Museum's Historical Loop

Are you a history geek who enjoys working out? It’s no issue. The hiking loop at the Hagley Museum is a circular route located near the Du Pont Company’s birthplace and on the grounds of the Du Pont home.

The walk is breathtaking, which is Eight miles of semi-paved paths winding through the ruins of former black powder mills, charming gift stores, and along the gurgling Brandywine River. You won’t even know you’ve worked up a sweat on this hiking trail in Delaware.

You might also like these cool bike trails in Delaware.

4. Jack A. Markell Trail

The 5.5-mile Jack A. Markell Trail goes a heavy industry rail line through the Russell W. Peterson Wildlife Refuge, passing numerous magnificent viewpoints of the Christina River, various bridges, and a 2,300-foot walkway elevated over it. Make a point of stopping to see if you can spot beavers, otters, or bald eagles.

Do you have a question about something you’ve seen, or do you need to tighten a bolt? The path is lined with interpretive kiosks and bike maintenance stations. Are you a local who can’t have enough of the region?

The Wilmington Riverwalk, the New Castle Battery Park Trail, and the Eastern Greenway connect with the Markell hiking trail in Delaware.

5. Georgetown-Lewes Trail

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The Georgetown-Lewes is the hiking trail in Delaware, built on the ruins of a recently decommissioned Delaware Coast Line Railroad route—the final train went through Lewes in 2017—is still making progress toward its eponymous destination.

There are now eight miles of trail. When it is completed from its current endpoint in Cool Spring to the Delaware County seat of Georgetown, it will be 17 miles long, making it the state’s longest rail-trail.

The route will connect Lewes residents and tourists to Georgetown’s commercial and entertainment areas by passing through several residential complexes, marshlands, woodlands, and retail outlets.

6. Gordon’s Pond Trail

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The 3.2-mile Gordon’s Pond Trail is part of an integrated trail system inside Cape Henlopen State Park that involves the Pinelands Essence and Walking Dunes trails. The above said Bike Loop and Intersection & Breakwater Trail, and the above said Bike Loop and Intersection & Breakwater Trail.

Cooper’s hawks and ospreys are commonly seen in the skies, and red foxes have been known to dash across the route. This is one of four North American locations designated as a “migration superhighway for waterfowl.”

You might also like these campgrounds in Delaware.

7. The Rocky Run Trail

Challenge yourself to an uphill fight on this path that lives up to its moniker. The Rocky Run Trail has two miles of difficult terrain to get your pulse pumping, but it concludes with a cool downhill.

Hikers may take in panoramic views of the glistening Brandywine River as it angles through the natural surroundings of the Northern Delaware Greenway and passes under the renowned Rocky Run Bridge.

8. Cape Henlopen State Park Bike Loop

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You may or might not be to the Cape Henlopen Regional Park Cycling Loop. Still, you almost surely saw it on the news when President Joe Biden rode his bike around the park.

Biden, who lives just few-cycle strokes from the 3.3-mile route, is one of the 100,000 or so people that use it each year. On the park’s western side, the road links to the 8-mile Junction & Breakwater Trail, which connects the communities of Lewes and Rehobeth Beach.

9. Junction Breakwater Trail

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This 5.8-mile route connects the tourist resorts of Lewes and Rehoboth Island and is a favorite tourist and local destination.

The way follows a part of the former Penn Central Rail Line, which operated from Lewes to Rehoboth in the mid-nineteenth century. Today, the walk provides a lovely tour of the marshes, farms, and woodlands beyond the area’s regular tourist attractions hiking trail in Delaware.

10. Michael Castle Trail

Michael Castle is the most popular hiking trail in Delaware. Is it the beautiful spring wildflowers, the river vistas, or the abundance of wildlife to see? Maybe it’s because it runs through Lums Pond State Park, giving trail users more options for spending a great day in nature?

The path follows much of the C & C&D Canal, which connects the Chesapeake Bay with the Delaware River. The canal, completed in 1829 and is still one of the busiest globally, allows trail users to witness passing cargo ships and gorgeous old bridges. The route extends for another 2 miles in Virginia as the Ben Cardin C&D Canal Environmental Trail.

11. The Little Jersey Trail at Lums Pond

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This flexible eight-mile track will delight nature enthusiasts. It provides a comfortable stroll into the forest owing to its flat ground and asphalt.

You’ll pass through a glistening pond before continuing through woodlands, campsites, and boathouses. Are you exhausted from that thrilling workout? Stay as long as you want on the grounds to enjoy the full experience hiking trail in Delaware. 

12. Bombay Hook Boardwalk Trail

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Bombay Hook Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the biggest tidal salt marshes in the mid-Atlantic, with fantastic hiking, birding, and photographic opportunities.

There are various routes at the refuge, but my personality is the 0.25-mile boardwalk track. Take a stroll through the woodland and marsh on the high boardwalk to enjoy the stunning views of the wetlands.

Choosing Delaware as your hiking destination means you’re already on the path to healthiness and well-being. From pristine beaches to historical monuments to hidden green regions that reveal nature’s the wilder but more vibrant side, these wonderful locations provide a diverse range of terrain options that will have you coming back for more.

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