Waterfall Hero Hikes: Alapocas Run State Park

Alapocas Run State Park is a 415-acre Delaware State Park in New Castle County in the northern part of the state. The park is located along Brandywine Creek and Alapocas Run and includes the state's only natural rock climbing wall. The land was originally donated by industrialist William Bancroft to the city of Wilmington and became a state park in 2002. Today, the park has rock climbing, historical structures, and trails, including portions of the Northern Delaware Greenway/East Coast Greenway Trail.

Contact Information:

1914 W. Park Drive

Wilmington, DE 19803

Phone: (302) 577-1164

Directions:

From Wilmington, take I-95 north to exit 8 for US-202 north. Go 1 mile and take the exit for DE-141 north. Drive 0.2 miles and turn left on West Park Drive. In another 0.2 miles, turn left to enter the park at Blue Ball Barn.

Map:

Trails:

Alapocas Woods Trail:

Alapocas Woods Trail is a scenic 0.7-mile trail through the woods leading from Alapocas Ball Field to Northern Delaware Greenway Trail.

Northern Delaware Greenway Trail:

Northern Delaware Greenway Trail is a 7.5 mile paved, multi-use trail through northern Delaware connecting several state and municipal parks. The trail is part of the East Coast Greenway. Over 2 miles of the trail run through Alapocas Run State Park.

Pawpaw Loop:

Pawpaw Loop is a short 0.3-mile loop splitting off from Alapocas Woods Trail.

Points of Interest:

Alapocas Run Waterfall:

Alapocas Run Waterfall is a small waterfall just upstream from the confluence with Brandywine Creek.

Blue Ball Barn:

Blue Ball Barn serves as the visitor center and home of the Delaware Folk Art Collection. The barn was originally built in 1914 by Alfred DuPont as a dairy barn on the Nemeurs estate.