Trap Pond State Park

(1.) ACCESS: We live in the center of Delaware, so all the Delaware State Parks are close to home, and we do not use much for fuel to get to any of them. We have camped at Trap Pond for over 45 years, got married in 1975.

(2.) LOCATION: Delaware State Parks are all at very special land areas and have reasonable camping rates. At Trap Pond you can rent or use your own canoe or kayak. Trap Pond has a nice camp store and across the pond is a day park with events going on often. At the end of every loop there is a dock for access to the pond.

(4.) CLEANLINESS: Delaware State Parks have always been clean.

(4.) SITE QUALITY: Most state parks have a reasonable distance between sites. We camp in a 21-foot travel trailer (bought new for $13k) and can use any of the sites.
I have noticed that large motor homes may need to pick their site. In fact, the person that gave Trap Pond one star needed a pull through site. I think people with large campers should check out campgrounds and make a list of sites they like. We make are reservations up to a year in advance.

(5.) The people that work at Delaware State Parks have always been pleasant to us. Some people are very demanding and don't realize the employees at the State Parks are not paid much and change every year. It seems that people with large expensive motor homes (some over $300,000) expect more than the average camper. I have also noticed that the people in the large motor homes many times don't cook & camp outside, they stay in their camper. Maybe they should go to a resort for Motor Homes, where they pay more, get more and are with other elite people.

We had booked our site, D12 several months in advance. We had booked the site for 2 nights at $36.00 per night. We arrived right at the check in time. When we made the reservation the site was listed as a pull through site, 45 feet in length. That was what we needed exactly. When my husband went in to check in the clerk was extremely unfriendly and said to my husband that the site was not listed as a pull through any more due to tree growth. { this was not true, they still had it listed as such on our check in date). She also informed him that the campground was full so there would be no moving sites if this did not work. We went to our site and the getting in was impossible. You could not pull through, nor could you back in. They had cut down a tree but left a tall stump. The placement of the other trees would have still made it impossible to pull through. The only thing that could fit in this site was a small class C or B. and only backing in. It was a mess. We went back to the office and two women insisted that it would be possible for us to pull into the site. They came down to "show" us. We possibly could have pulled in, maybe, but pulling through would have certainly cause our trailer to be damaged on the way out, if we could have got it out at all. She kept insisting that we could partially pull it through the next site over except that the next site over was fully occupied! We finally told them that we would not be staying there as the site WAS STILL LISTED ON THEIR WEB SITE AS A PULL THROUGH AND IT CLEARLY WAS NOT. They only would refund half of our money. So the 3 hour drive both ways was for nothing. Even if we had been able to access the site I do not think we would have been happy with the experience. The campground was packed and the sites were very close together. It was a mess with everyone parked crossways and such trying to fit into their spots. Even still, had we been able to get into our space we would have stayed. They have since listed this site as a drive in site, so I wonder if it has been completely changed to tent only. This was our first and only experience with Delaware State Park camping and we were not impressed.

Stayed over Thanksgiving and this was our first solo camping trip with a travel trailer.

Pros
The site neighbors were so kind and wonderful at helping us with any questions we had.
Weather was cold but beautiful.
Clean bathrooms
Parks for kids
Beautiful hiking
Close to town for any groceries or other needs

Cons
The firewood purchased from the campground burned SO fast so I’d definitely recommend buying some out in town to get more bang for your buck.

Despite campground’s claims, they do NOT enforce quiet hours in the slightest. About 4 rigs down every night of our stay they started LOUD karaoke at 9:30pm and went well into the night. So loud you could clearly hear all the words and sing along if you pleased from inside your own rig. If quiet nights are important to you and you don’t feel comfortable approaching drunk people asking them to quiet down this might not be the place for you.

We spent three nights at Trap Pond that included Friday and Saturday. This appears to be a popular place for families and people who like to socialize. In spite of the rainy forecast the campground was fairly full. Surprisingly, when 10pm rolled around on a Friday night all was quiet. It may have had something to do with the weather.

With being so packed in, many folks like to have bright lights in the evening and then leave some of them on at night. Since there is no vegetation between sites you get light pollution from all angles. Turn off your lights folks! As usual a fair amount of screaming kids, not too many barking dogs, and not a lot of music, but we may have been lucky. So if you are looking for a quiet retreat this may not be the place or try during the week.

The high point for us was paddling in the Bald Cypress swamp in the late afternoon, about hour and half before sunset, so you had very slanted rays of sunshine flooding area of the swamp. We also did a five mile bike ride around the pond on the Dog Trail. All of the path if fine gravel or firm dirt - my favorite. Going counter clockwise to the dam and around is a wide path shared by walkers, bikers, and horse riders. At the top of the pond the trail becomes a four foot wide twisty path through the trees. It was rather a fun challenge, since we mainly ride on rail trails. Since the surface was firm and smooth, you could pay attention to maneuvering among the trees.

Abbott’s on the Broad in Laurel, DE. Was excellent, especially Shrimp and Grits. A variety of food on the menu.

I should preface this by saying we camped here on a weekend. Super busy and sites are closer together than we are used to in a state park. Positives- friendly staff, free bikes to use, nice trails throughout park. Negatives- sites really close together while we like wooded sites, tree location can be an issue if you have a big rig with slides.
We also visited nearby Parson’s Farm that had incredible produce, pumpkins, ice cream, games and a petting zoo for the kiddos. We’ll worth a trip there.

Lots of amazing trails, free bikes to use, the best park for the kids we’ve seen in a long time, and great daily activities planned. Sites are closer together but somehow still seems private. It rained REALLY hard for half our first day there and everything did flood pretty bad, but it was back to normal by the next morning.
There’s boat for use but no swimming in the pond- rangers said there’s too much algae. We would definitely come back!

Lots of amazing trails, free bikes to use, the best park for the kids we’ve seen in a long time, and great daily activities planned. Sites are closer together but somehow still seems private. It rained REALLY hard for half our first day there and everything did flood pretty bad, but it was back to normal by the next morning.
There’s boat for use but no swimming in the pond- rangers said there’s too much algae. We would definitely come back!

I'm beginning to understand how little ol' Delaware could have received first place for their state park campgrounds. This was our third DSP campground and I have to say that so far all have been well-maintained and have a variety of activities. The only reason for subtracting a star is because there is no swimming at Trap Pond. Otherwise, it is really nice. The highlight had to be kayaking through a grove of bald cypress trees. It's something you just don't expect in the Northeast or anywhere north of the Carolinas. And Loop D has a special kayak launch that I've never seen before. No chance of tipping over while getting in or out of the kayak. Wish every kayak launch site had one.
We have a travel trailer, but one of the things that impressed me was the tent sites. If you really want to feel like you're camping in the woods, these are the sites for you. Also, there is a very unique island tent site that is double the size of the others. The cabins and yurts are reasonably spaced. Lakefront sites are nice. the last two cabins are sort of separated from the rest, so they are good for a group that wants two cabins. Very clean bathhouses. Well stocked camp store/office. Free 1-hour bike rentals. the loop around the pond is paved and an absolute pleasure to ride around on a beach cruiser bike. About 4.5 miles took about 45 minutes. Very easy.
The curved pull-through sites on the outside of D loop offer a view of the woods or the lake. The sites on the interior of the loop are good if you want to spend time with the people behind you. It was a little tricky getting into the pull-through site with a 32' travel trailer, but it was worth it. There is enough wooded area between each loop to give you a view of the woods.
Water and electric hookups for RV sites. Two dump stations on the way out above D loop.
Nearest grocery store and town is about a 15 minute drive. I could get some T-mobile signal at the pond.
Tent sites have several water spigots so they are not far from any site. Tent and cabin sites are all walk-in, but they conveniently provide big carts to wheel your things to your site. Makes it a more relaxing experience without the car and truck traffic. I might have to come back here with a tent!