Naturalist's Notes

Leave Home Early. Get to the park before 10 a.m. and skip the line of cars waiting to get into the park. If you think it’s a great day to hit the beach, so do hundreds of others. These are the days when the Park may close by 11 a.m., so beat the rush.
Come Late. Many folks leave by 3 or 4 p.m. This is a great time to cool off on a hot day. It is also a great time (5 – 6 p.m.) to look for deer (including our resident white pie-bald deer on the parade field across from the Nature Center) and other wildlife in the Park.
Sign Up Early. Many of our popular programs, such as Ghost Crab Night Hike and Fort Miles Lantern Tours have a limited capacity and fill up quickly. Call the Nature Center at (302) 645-6852 to reserve your spot. Please be ready to give your name, your phone number, the number of people in your group as well as the ages of any children in your group (some programs do have age restrictions).
Show Up Early. If you reserved a spot for a program, arrive 10 to 15 minutes before the program to check in and pay fees, if applicable. This allows us to begin programs on time. Some programs, like Seining the Bay and Hayrides, do not have pre-registration, so show up early to join the program.
Call to Cancel. If you know you will not be making a program, please call the Nature Center and ask us to take you off the list. This allows us to call the next folks on the waiting list.
Share the Park. Millions of people visit Cape Henlopen State Park every summer, so please be kind, considerate and respectful to both your fellow patrons and the residents of the park (wildlife). As in all Delaware State Parks, we are a carry-in, carry-out park, so please take your trash with you and leave the nature in the park. Sharing is caring.