ABOUT CYPRESS POINT CAMPGROUND AT TRAP POND STATE PARK: Trap Pond State Park is located near Laurel, Delaware off Route 13 between DE-24 and DE-30. It borders the James Branch Nature Preserve and includes two ponds: Trap Pond and Trussum Pond, and a third pond, Raccoon Pond, branches off Trap Pond. All three ponds welcome non-motorized boats. Fishing is also popular. The Park also offers a fishing pier, boat launches, navigation markers, restrooms, showers, a bathhouse, picnic pavilion and picnic areas, RV and tent camping, cabins and yurts, boat rentals, playground, baseball fields, beach volleyball, disc golf, horseshoes, scenic overlooks and hiking trails that are also popular with bicyclists. Horseback riding is allowed on some trails, also. There is also a Nature Center, and Pontoon Boat Tours are offered weekends from Memorial Day thru Labor Day.
Here is an excerpt from National Geographic Guide to State Parks of the United States and Canadian Provincial Parks. It is from the description of Trap Pond State Park:
”Among the rows of corn and soybeans on the Eastern Shore of Maryland rises a great stand of bald cypress trees, their moss-draped limbs and buttressed trunks reminiscent of a southern bayou. The remnants of an ancient swampland that once covered much of the Atlantic coastal plain, these relics of another time form the heart of the park.
In the late 1700’s colonists discovered that the rot-resistant bald cypress wood was ideal for building boats, posts, and shingles. They excavated Trap Pond to power their mills, and down came the tall, shaggy trees. As more trees toppled, opening up the tree canopy, the sun dried the underlying peat bogs, making the whole swamp susceptible to fire. One 1930’s blaze raged for eight months.
The cypress of Trap Pond and surrounding Raccoon and Trussum Ponds, evoke an aura of mystery. Some of the remaining trees are approximately 500 years old. In winter flocks of overwintering Canada Geese and Whistling Swans sit by the water’s edge, and the trees stand locked in ice—quite a sight to behold. Acquired by the federal government in the 1930’s, Trap Pond and its surrounding ponds and forests became Delaware’s first state park in 1951.”
The Cypress Point Campground within the state park, includes some of the amenities listed above, plus five campground loops, a campground office and store, parking, laundry facilities, a recycling center at the trash station, water, and dump stations. Four of the campground loops have electric and water hook-ups; the fifth is for tent camping only and offers no hook-ups. Including the cabins and yurts, there are 147 campsites. The campground is open year-round.
Each campground loop had trees throughout and loops A thru D had boat launches. Our favorite campsite was D-13 which was right by the water and had a great view. Any campsite on the outer ring of Loop D was good. The other loops that allowed RVs had sites that were closer together and each of those loops backed up to the next loop. It appeared that Loop D was added at a more recent time, and the sites on the outer ring of this loop did not back up to other campsites. Pets were allowed throughout the entire campground. Check-in time is after 1 p.m. Check-out time is before 12 noon. We paid $100 for 3 nights, which included a senior out-of-state discount. For reservations online contact www.destateparks.com or call 1-877-987-2757. The Park Office phone number is 1-302-875-5153.
- 2021 – 10/21-10/24
- 2022 – 11/08-11/14