The Delaware Forest Service is adding more camping sites and a new online reservation portal.
There are now 34 sites available for campers, sixteen at Blackbird State Forest and eighteen at Redden.
The state Forest Service’s Jennifer Morgan says in addition to the new campsites, there are other upgrades to some sites.
“At Blackbird State Forest, there are 16 primitive campsites available, two of those are ADA. All those campsites have your fire rings, your picnic tables and your charcoal grilles. It is primitive - so there’s no water hookup or septic hookup - it’s really getting outdoors.”
Pavilion use is available at both Blackbird and Redden State Forests, and Lodge rental is available at Redden. Rentals can be made at de.gov/forestcamping.
State forests only allow tent camping. Pickup campers, travel trailers and motorhomes are not allowed due to access and parking limitations.
Forests in Delaware cover 27% of the state’s land, or close to 353,500 acres. About 19,000 acres are in the three state forests, one in each county, and are set aside for public use, including hiking, horseback riding and camping.
Delawareans can reserve camping spots at the state’s forests quicker with a new web portal.
The portal allows the public to make online reservations for Delaware’s 34 state forest campsites.There are also lodge and pavilion reservations available through the portal
Morgan manages the new campground software at the Forest Service. She says the website has been redesigned for the user.
“So we have the new software, which is very user-friendly and very nice coming from what our reservation portal was before, which will be easier for our campers to access the system and understand things better about what the forests offer.”
