St. Jones Preserve

Managed by DNREC’s Coastal Programs, the St. Jones Reserve is just a stone’s throw from Dover and offers a trail leading from the visitor center and over the marshes within the Reserve and the nearby Ted Harvey Wildlife Area. The trail is about a mile long (one-way), with the boardwalk stretching almost a quarter mile.

Little Creek Wildlife Observation Tower

If you’re after elevation and not distance, you’ll love the observation deck at Little Creek Wildlife Area. It’s just a short boardwalk stroll from the parking area and then there’s a two-level observation platform to take in some unobstructed views of the wetlands down below.

Bombay Hook and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuges

Delaware is lucky to have two national wildlife refuges along the bayshore. Bombay Hook and Prime Hook provide access to world-class birding opportunities throughout the year. There are several trails within each refuge that have short boardwalks, offering views of the coastal wetlands along the Delaware Bay.

Cape Henlopen State Park

The trails at Cape Henlopen State Park are some of the most popular in the state. The Gordons Pond Trail has an extensive boardwalk that is bikeable and passes through not only wetlands, but coastal dunes as well. The Walking Dunes Trail also offers stretches of boardwalks that pass over salt marsh habitats.

Burton Island Nature Preserve

Tucked away behind the Indian River Marina within Delaware Seashore State Park is the Burton Island Nature Preserve. This 1-mile loop trail has several boardwalks that make it easy to experience the vast salt marshes of the preserve.

DNREC’s Aquatic Resources Education Center

The Woodland Wildlife Management Area is home to DNREC’s Aquatic Resources Education Center, located in Smyrna. The trail here has an expansive stretch of boardwalk that showcases even more of the precious wetlands along the shores of the Delaware Bay.

James Farm Ecological Preserve

Just about the entire list so far has described boardwalk trails that are owned and managed by state and federal agencies. But let’s not forget the trails that are maintained by environmental nonprofits. The James Farm Ecological Preserve in Ocean View has boardwalks that pass-through damp forest as well as salt marsh habitat, ultimately leading out to a beautiful sandy beach. This boardwalk trail is managed by the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays.

Chapel Brach Nature Area

Speaking of trails managed by nonprofits, another gem of a boardwalk trail is located at the Chapel Branch Nature Area in Seaford. This tract of land is managed by the Nanticoke River Watershed Conservancy and has several trails, one of which has a boardwalk with great views of a wooded wetland area.

The Bob Trail

Probably the most famous boardwalk in western Sussex County would be the Bob Trail at Trap Pond State Park. This boardwalk is part of a 4-mile loop around the pond that welcomes both hikers and cyclists and is home to some of Delaware’s Unique Wetland Communities. 

Port Penn Wetlands Trail

Another gem along Delaware’s bayshore is the Port Penn Wetlands Trail. This short little boardwalk trail is packed with wetland scenery and birding opportunities. Combine it with a trip to the Port Penn Interpretive Center to learn a bit about the history of the area.

Holts Landing State Park

The Sea Hawk Trail at Holts Landing State Park did not always have a scenic boardwalk. Years ago, a portion of the trail meandered along the sandy shoreline of the park, but due to erosion and sea level rise, that part of the trail became inaccessible over time. A few years back, the park system constructed a long boardwalk over the marsh, providing a beautiful connection to the rest of the trail, completing the 1.3-mile loop.

Jack A. Markell Trail

Boardwalk trails and wetlands are not just found in quiet, rural parts of the state. The Jack A. Markell trail is located between Wilmington and Newcastle and connects two urban areas. There are long stretches of boardwalks and bridges along this trail, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to get up close to the surrounding wetlands.