Delaware State Parks are on pace for another record-breaking summer.
DNREC’s Division of Parks and Recreation had over 47,000 active annual passes in 2019. That increased 31% to over 61,000 passes in 2021. And the division reports sales are ahead of this time last year, despite being delayed for two months.
Delaware parks drew in 7.9 million people in 2021 and volumes at the beaches were at capacity, resulting in 69 lot closures, 16 of which were on weekdays. Ray Bivens, Division Director for State Parks, says those numbers are significant for the state.
“When you compare us to some of the neighboring states, like I think Virginia State Parks was 11 million, which really shocked me that little old Delaware, we were even close with just under 8 million,” Bivens said.
Bivens attributes some of that to park management. He says Delaware draws visitors because of the variety the First State offers, from beaches and nature trails, to campgrounds and concerts. He also notes the recognition the state received from American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and National Recreation and Park Association.
“We won our second gold medal as the best managed state park system," Bivens said. "They’ve only given that award away 13 times, they only award it every other year, and Florida and Delaware are the only states that have won it more than once. So we have two of the 13, and once you win it you have to sit out for five years. So it’s kind of unheard of that we’ve applied twice and won it twice.”
He adds the pandemic also likely motivated people to discover outdoor activities.
“We also saw visitation spike at places like Brandywine Creek, which our staff never thought would fill to capacity and during COVID, every weekend we were turning people away,” Bivens said.
Camping and cabin reservations, trail traffic, boat rentals and rounds of golf played at Deerfield and Garrison’s lake also all significantly increased.
Bivens says camping and cabin reservations can be made up to a year in advance, and Memorial Day weekend in 2023 is already booked.
Visitors are encouraged to visit at off-peak times to avoid long waits and crowded areas.
