Best Campgrounds in Delaware

By Buck Tanner · June 26, 2026 · 9 min read
Delaware campgrounds
Photo by Dave Hoefler on Unsplash

Where would you take the grandkids camping in Delaware? Say "Delaware" to most campers and you get the look you'd get if you asked where to find a moose in Kansas. But the truth is the state has some real nice campgrounds, and a few of them are better than what I see folks fighting over out west. This guide covers the best campgrounds in Delaware, and it's a small state, but the shore parks alone are worth the drive.

Mostly state parks here. Delaware doesn't have the federal land you get out my way, so the state parks system is who you'll be dealing with for permits and sites. They run a tight ship, all things considered. If you want the wider picture of what the system offers, our guide to Delaware state parks for camping goes further than this one does.

Below is the short list of campgrounds I'd actually send someone to, with the honest version of what each one is like. Not "best", because I dont much believe in that word. Just the ones that earn their keep.

Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes

If you only get one shot at camping in Delaware, this is probably the one. Cape Henlopen sits where Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic, right outside Lewes, and the campground is tucked back in the pines a short walk from the beach. About 150-some sites, a mix of tent and RV, some with hookups and some without. Bathhouses are clean, and that matters more than people admit until they've used a bad one.

What makes it work is the country itself: old artillery batteries from WWII, the observation tower you can climb, and miles of beach where you can actually walk the dog in the off-season. There's a bike path that connects to Lewes proper if you want crab cakes and don't want to drive. Reserve early. This one books out fast in summer, and I mean fast. It used to be quieter, but word got around.

A pine-backed site like this gives you something the open beach doesn't: a bit of shelter from wind and a little shade in the afternoon. When you pick a pitch, look at how the trees break the breeze and where the ground sits relative to the nearest path, since low spots collect water after a storm.

Delaware Seashore State Park at Indian River Inlet

Right down Coastal Highway from Cape Henlopen, between Dewey Beach and Bethany. This is the one where you camp with the ocean on one side and the bay on the other, and if the wind comes up right you can hear both at once. Big campground, lots of RV sites with full hookups, and a separate tent loop that's a little more civilized than some of the rigs would suggest. If you're towing, our rundown of RV campgrounds in Delaware covers hookups and site types in more detail.

The catch, and there's always a catch, is that it's exposed. Not much shade, and when a summer storm rolls through off the Atlantic, you'll know about it. Stake your tent like you mean it. Sandy ground holds stakes poorly, so longer stakes, a few extra guy lines, and the door turned away from the prevailing wind all help. Good fishing right there at the inlet, surf or pier, and the beach access doesnt get much easier.

Trap Pond State Park in Laurel

Now this one's different. Trap Pond is down in Sussex County near Laurel, almost into Maryland, and it's got the northernmost natural stand of bald cypress in the country. Real cypress trees, in Delaware. It's the sort of fact you don't believe until somebody shows you. You can paddle a canoe through the swamp like you're in Louisiana.

The campground has about 130 sites, some right on the pond, and there's a few cabins and yurts if your back has been talking to you the way mine has. Quieter than the shore parks by a long shot. Bring bug spray, and I don't mean the polite kind, I mean the stuff that voids your jacket warranty. Still water and swamp edges breed mosquitoes, and they're worst around dawn and dusk. Dogs tend to love the water. Mosquitoes, not so much. Fair trade.

Killens Pond State Park in Felton

Middle of the state, just off Route 13 outside Felton. Killens Pond is the one I'd send a family with kids who've never camped before. Small enough not to be overwhelming, a water park right there if the trip needs a bailout option, and the pond itself is good for a kayak or a fishing pole. Sites are a mix of tent, RV, and cabins.

The trails around the pond aren't long, maybe four miles total if you walk it all, but they're pretty walking, mature hardwoods, and easy enough for little legs. If you've got folks who think they want to try camping but aren't sure yet, this is the gentle introduction. And if it rains, Dover's twenty minutes north and you can find a movie.

First-timers do best when the first trip is short and close to a town. A forgotten tarp or a cold night feels like a disaster at a remote site and like a funny story here, because the car and a hot meal are never far off.

Lums Pond State Park in Bear

Up in New Castle County near Bear, which is the part of Delaware most folks forget exists if they're not from there. Lums Pond is the largest freshwater pond in the state, and the campground sits back in the woods on the south side. Sixty-odd sites, decent spacing, real trees overhead, which feels good after a few days at the shore.

The draw here is the variety. There's a disc golf course, the Go Ape zipline outfit if you've got teenagers who need wearing out, and a 7-mile loop around the pond that's flat and easy and good for hiking or biking. It's close enough to Wilmington and Newark that you get some day-use traffic, but the campground stays pretty calm once the sun goes down. I'd send my brother's grandkids here without a second thought.

Private campgrounds: Tall Pines, Holly Lake and Big Oak

Delaware's got a handful of private campgrounds, mostly in Sussex County catering to the beach overflow. I'll be honest with you: these aren't really my speed. Most of them lean RV-heavy, the sites are tight, and a few have gift shops, which as a general rule makes me suspicious. But they fill a need when the state parks are booked solid, which is most of the summer.

If you want hookups, a pool, and don't mind neighbors close, the private ones do what they do. Just don't expect wilderness. You're paying for convenience, not solitude.

What to know before you book

Delaware State Parks runs its reservations through their own system, not Recreation.gov like the federal stuff. Plenty of folks don't realize that and waste an hour looking in the wrong place. Go straight to destateparks.com and you'll save yourself the headache. Reservation windows shift, so check before you go, but you can book most sites about a year out, and the shore parks go quick for summer weekends. Our explainer on Delaware camping permits and reservations walks through how the process works.

Few other things worth knowing:

The shore parks have a separate beach-access fee for non-residents during the season, though if you're camping at Cape Henlopen or Delaware Seashore it's bundled in. Quiet hours are taken seriously at the state parks, which is more than I can say for some places. Pets are allowed at all the state park campgrounds I've mentioned but check the leash rules and the beach rules separately, those are two different things.

For gear, the shore is windy and the inland parks are buggy, so I'd rather have a sturdy tent with good stakes than a fancy one. A decent sleeping bag rated to maybe 40 degrees handles most of the shoulder season, and a reliable camp stove matters more here than at a lot of places because fire restrictions come and go depending on conditions. Full gear list is on the site if you're starting from scratch.

If beach camping is what you're after, read what beach camping in Delaware actually gets you before you commit, since the rules at the shore differ from the inland parks.

An honest take on campgrounds in Delaware

If I had a week and I'd never been to Delaware, I'd split it between Cape Henlopen and Trap Pond. Three nights at the shore, three nights inland with the cypress trees, and a travel day in between to drive the long way and eat somewhere on the bay. That's the trip. You don't need anything fancier than that.

Delaware isn't going to feel like Yellowstone, and anybody telling you it is hasn't seen Yellowstone. But for a quiet week with a fishing pole, a kayak, and a dog who likes the water, the state parks here are doing the job better than a lot of places three times the size. And the people running them actually seem to care. That counts for something. For more general park info, the NPS finder won't help you much in Delaware proper, but it's worth a look if you're road-tripping the region. Same with our parks roundups if you're combining states.

More Delaware camping guides from our state coverage:

Best campgrounds in other states:

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Common questions

When should I book Delaware state park campgrounds?
As early as you can for summer weekends, especially Cape Henlopen and Delaware Seashore. Reservation windows shift, but in recent seasons most sites have opened roughly a year out through destateparks.com. Weeknights and shoulder season are easier.
Are there any national park campgrounds in Delaware?
No. First State National Historical Park exists in Delaware but doesn't offer camping. All the developed campgrounds are state parks or private operations.
Which Delaware campground is best for tent camping versus RVs?
Trap Pond and Killens Pond lean more tent-friendly and wooded. Delaware Seashore is heavier on RVs with full hookups. Cape Henlopen has a good mix of both.
Can I camp on the beach in Delaware?
Not in a tent. Delaware Seashore State Park allows surf-fishing vehicles on designated beach areas with a permit, but overnight tent camping is restricted to the established campgrounds.
Are dogs allowed at Delaware campgrounds?
Yes at all the state park campgrounds mentioned, on leash. Beach access rules for dogs vary by season, so check each park individually before you go.
What's the quietest campground in Delaware?
Trap Pond near Laurel is the most peaceful of the state park options. Bald cypress, paddling, and far less foot traffic than the shore parks.
About the author
BT
Buck Tanner
Veteran outdoors columnist · Bozeman, MT

Buck spent 38 years in green and grey before hanging up the radio. He writes the way he talked at the ranger desk — half answers, half stories about his Border collie Sadie. He once spent 17 nights in a row at the same Wyoming dispersed site and considers that a fine vacation. Buck is suspicious of glamping but will admit a four-season tent helped him after a 2019 incident he still won't fully explain.

38 years with the National Park Service (retired). Backcountry permit clerk turned trail-crew foreman at Glacier, Yellowstone, and the North Cascades.

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