Extended trail would link Gordons Pond, Herring Point

Visitors who hike the beach beyond Gordons Pond north of Rehoboth Beach find an unimproved trail that traverses wetlands and high sand dunes before continuing through a pine forest to the Herring Point parking lot.

That could all change if state officials complete a 2-mile trail improvement project that has been discussed for decades.

The plan calls for upgrading the trail using crushed stone, which would better define the trail and allow bicyclists to use it. The trail would mimic the popular Junction and Breakwater Trail linking Lewes and Rehoboth Beach. Gordons Pond is part of Cape Henlopen State Park.

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Collin O’Mara called the section a missing piece to take the park’s trails to the next level. “This would provide the potential of a 15-mile loop through the entire park,” he said.

It would also provide an even larger loop of about another 10 miles for those who link the Junction and Breakwater Trail with the Cape Henlopen State Park system of trails, including the 3-mile paved bike loop trail. Users could access the trails via Ocean Drive in Rehoboth Beach.

The good news is there is a strong push to make the project a reality; the bad news is the trail will probably not be constructed anytime soon. State officials could give only a vague timeline of two to three years before plans could be finalized.

O’Mara said the idea of extending this 2-mile section of trail from Gordons Pond to the Herring Point parking area has been discussed for decades, but disagreements on key issues have stalled the project.

He said a committee has tackled many of the issues and is now preparing a proposal. Because of environmental and historical features in the area north of Gordons Pond, the exact location of the trail has been a sticking point.

“What we are looking at is protection of the resources and the construction of a world-class trail,” O’Mara said.

He added that because of the state’s budget crunch, extending the trail would require private donations. Conversations with potential donors will soon take place, he said. Some state and federal money could also be leveraged for the project, O’Mara said.

He said engineers would review possible routes and develop a cost estimate.

Charles Salkin, director of Delaware State Parks, said debate about this section of trail dates back prior to when he started working for the state – 32 years ago.

Political pressures, lack of interest and lack of money have been problems in the past, and it wasn’t until the mid-1990s that the state controlled all property within Cape Henlopen State Park, he said.

The Junction and Breakwater Trail was tops on the priority list. The first section of the trail near Rehoboth Beach was finished in December 2003, while the second section linking Lewes to the trail was completed in June 2007. The crushed-stone trail is now 6 miles long.

Salkin said the proposed project would include upgrading a current 1-mile section of a de facto trail around Gordons Pond to allow better access to bicyclists and construction of a new 1-mile section including about 1,500 feet of boardwalk. Preliminary cost estimates are at least $1 million and possibly as much as $2 million, depending on the final route of the trail and what solutions are arrived at to protect the environment, Salkin said.

“It’s not on a specific schedule, but it has come time to pin this project down,” Salkin said.

O’Mara said the key issues include: stabilization of a dune to the east of the trail, avoiding impact on tidal wetlands, keeping people on the trail and preserving cultural resources.

“This is the type of project that if you build it, they will come,” Salkin said.

“We want this to be the First State of trails; this is one key piece that has never been done,” O’Mara said.

For more information: destateparks.com