Mark’s Score 8.6
The summer is over, the tourists are gone, children are in school, and our public places are once again ours. So, time for me to start visiting local parks. One of my favorites, partly because it is less known than other area parks, and partly for its ecological significance is Trap Pond State Park just to the east of Laurel, Delaware.
Trap Pond State Park is Delaware’s first state park, the land was purchased from the federal government in 1951. The park surrounds an old mill pond built in the late 1800s to power the Trap Mills sawmill. The sawmill was built to harvest bald cypress trees from the surrounding swamp lands. Bald cypress was highly sought after due to its rot-resistant wood. This stand of bald cypress is the northernmost naturally occurring stand of bald cypress in the US.
If you do not know about this park, you are unlikely to stumble upon it. It is not on any main road; it is not near any significant town nor near any significant body of water. It is a swamp haphazardly dropped in the middle of southern Delaware’s corn fields. But its obscure location belies its ecological significance and its natural beauty.
As I get older, I increasingly appreciate gentle walking trails. I used to love hiking in the mountains. I now prefer the low inclines and easy walks of Delmarva’s lowlands. I have to admit that at first, I missed the soaring vistas of a mountain hike, I found hiking here a bit boring. But then I started to pay more attention to what I was seeing. I have come to appreciate the subtitle and gentle beauty of the low country. This is particularly true of our cypress swamps.
There are more extensive swamp walks along the Pocomoke River that are hauntingly (literally and figuratively) beautiful. The Trap Pond cypress swamp is certainly smaller than Pocomoke, but in a way that offers some advantages. The walks are shorter and well maintained. There are several excellent trails here, but if I am short of time, I walk the island trial along the eastern edge of Trap Pond. This trail gives you vistas of the pond. You can see a couple of free-standing bald cypress in the water and the trail takes you through a small cypress forest.
The trail begins at the Nature Center which has a floor aquarium and a replica of a bald cypress tree. If you are hungry the trial starts near the picnic area set in a lovely grove of Loblollies. If you are into boating, the boat rental office is just a short walk. Where you can rent paddle boats, kayaks, and canoes.
The combination of natural beauty, well-appointed facilities, and its significance as the most northern stand of bald cypress make this park a delightful place to spend a day or even just an afternoon. It is a little off the beaten path, but that is all the more reason to visit.
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