Occupying 1,790 acres of drop-dead gorgeous natural scenery near Bear in New Castle County, Delaware, Lums Pond State Park is a nature lover’s delight. The park is built around Lums Pond on St. Georges Creek, hence the name Lums Pond State Park. Lums Pond, initially constructed to fill a nearby canal, now provides plenty of recreational opportunities at the park, including boating, kayaking, canoeing, and fishing.
You can park the RV and hit the trail for hiking, biking, horseback riding, bird watching, and geocaching. There are plenty of other fun activities to enjoy, too, like golfing, hunting, and picnicking. The park also offers seasonal hayrides and various cultural and nature programs. The most spectacular of all recreational options are the zip line tours available almost year-round, which is a major attraction at the park. The park is popular among the visitors for its thrilling events occurring all year long, especially during the peak season.
Besides a wide variety of fun options for recreation, the park does not fall short of excellent camping opportunities, either. The park boasts 66 full-hookup campsites with excellent amenities. Horseriders will love camping near the riding trails because the park offers four first-class equestrian campsites. The park is open for RVers all year long, but a few facilities may not be available during the coldest parts of the year. Summer, spring, and fall are considered ideal times for a visit. Bring your RV to Lums Pond State Park for a pleasant stay at any time of the year.
Lums Pond State Park is located near the City of Bear in the center of New Castle County in Delaware. The park is situated on Howell School Road on the eastern side of DE-896 between Glasgow and Summit Bridge. It takes no more than half an hour to reach the park from the City of New Castle via DE-9 S and US-13 S. You're not far from big-city amenities since Wilmington is just a half-hour away.
You’ll have no problems driving on these large and well-groomed highways on your way to the park. However, once you get off DE-896, Howell School Road heading into the park is smaller and a bit curvier. Take it slow and easy, especially if you are driving a big rig or pulling a camper. Driving slower has another advantage. You’ll be able to enjoy the scenery and watch for the wild critters that graze along the roadside.
Visitors can easily move around inside the park with the help of a park map, which you can pick up at the park office and nature store. The park has adequate parking options dispersed throughout the park. There are no driving restrictions inside the park during the daytime, but if you plan on driving at night, make sure to have reflectors and headlights on. During special events, you’ll also be expected to walk from place to place inside the park instead of driving.
RV camping at Lums Pond State Park is incredible, with its excellent amenities and facilities. The park offers a campground featuring 66 RV campsites that provide 30- or 50-amp electric, water, and sewer hookups. The campsites are scattered in the woods among the shade and scent of oak trees, not too far away from Lums Pond. Each site features a picnic table and a fire ring or grill. A camp store is located within walking distance from the grounds, so it’s easily accessible if you need anything. Restrooms with modern showers are also located nearby.
The maximum RV length is 50 feet, so you should have no problems fitting in a spot. Bring up to eight people (including yourself) on your camping trip, and bring your pets too, as they are pet-friendly here. There is even a dog park onsite, where you can take your pooch to an off-leash play area. Wheelchair-friendly sites are also available for anyone that needs them. All of the campsites can be reserved year-round for up to 12 months in advance.
The park provides a wide range of options for different kinds of camping. If you feel like camping outside your RV or campervan for a change, you can choose to rough it in one of the campground’s five tent-only sites. These sites are located just a short walk from the parking lot in the southeastern area of the park. Each site has its own campfire grill and picnic table. You’ll be near all of the other amenities at the main campground as well.
If you want to camp uniquely, try sleeping in one of the park’s yurts. The park provides two yurts featuring single and double bunk beds, a double bed-sized futon, and an outdoor seating area. The yurts are located in the main campground, right along the water's edge. If you love camping with your horses, Lums Pond Park’s four equestrian campsites will serve your needs. Keep in mind that the equestrian campsites are tent-only. Pets are allowed at these sites as well as long as you accompany them and restrain them during your visit.
If you are looking for a unique outdoor adventure, you will love geocaching in Lums Pond State Park’s scenic outdoors. The park invites you to use your handheld GPS device to search for your treasure within its scented flowers, enormous oak, maple, and black cherry trees, and along the shores of the magnificent Lums Pond. The park has a few rules for the players to follow. A Delaware park permit is required before placing any new geocache anywhere, and while hunting for your treasure, cachers should stick to marked trails. Geocaching during your RV vacation at Lums Pond State Park is guaranteed to be both exciting and thrilling.
Lums Pond State Park’s natural habitat is home to a wide variety of wildlife. The park is a bird-watching delight with its vast array of magnificent and unusual birds that inhabit the park. Birding enthusiasts will be ecstatic when they catch sight of the birds here. After all, the park is home to over 160 exceptional bird species. Some of the most popular birds spotted here include the American goldfinch, Cooper's hawk, redwing blackbird, hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, and golden eagle.
When you make an RV trip to Lums Pond State Park, you can enjoy miles of beautiful hiking trails featuring the stunning scenery of dense woodlands and exotic wildflowers. The Life Course Trail is a 0.8-mile dirt path that has an average grade of two percent. This path has 20 fitness stations along the trail that you can use. If you would rather just take a quick stroll with the kids, try the 0.1-mile Sensory Loop Trail that begins right behind the nature center. Both of these trails are ADA and stroller accessible.
If you brought your horses with you, there are several excellent equestrian trails you can explore and enjoy. One of the most popular horseback riding trails is the 8.1-mile Little Jersey Trail, which also permits hiking and biking. These trails are also pet-friendly as long as you keep your furry friend on a leash. Just remember that dogs might spook horses, so keep your dog close as to not disrupt the equestrians. For an even longer trek, try the 12-mile Michael N. Castle Trail, which meanders along the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal before leading out of the park.
During deer season, Lums Pond is a popular deer-hunting destination. If you plan on hunting, don’t forget to pack your hunting gear in the RV before heading to the park. Hunters are only allowed to hunt deer at this park. No small game, waterfowl, or any other hunting is permitted here. You will need to follow the Delaware state hunting rules, and keep your hunting license on you at all times. Keep in mind that hunting is not allowed on Sundays.
Lums Pond State Park encompasses one of the largest freshwater ponds in Delaware. Besides swimming, Lums Pond offers recreationists many other water-bound recreational activities such as boating, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. You don't need your own watercraft to have fun here. Canoes, kayaks, rowboats, paddleboats, and sailboats are available for rent, and there is a boat launch at the south end of the pond to access the water quickly. If you’d rather head out to sea, the North Marina just south of the park gives you access to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which you can take to the Atlantic Ocean.
Lums Pond State Park offers four picnic pavilions and a few picnic grounds. The park’s picnic spots, especially the pavilions, are an ideal outdoor party destination because they offer stunning views of the pond in the backdrop. The picnic areas come equipped with picnic tables and grills. There is only one picnic pavilion that provides the luxury of water and electricity, so if this sounds like something you want, be sure to reserve it before someone else does. Picnic areas are up for pre-booking throughout the year, but if they’re not reserved, these can be obtained on a first-come, first-served basis. A children's playground providing swings and slides can also be found nearby. While picnicking in the outdoors, you can also choose among one or more games of volleyball, basketball, or disc golf.
Lums Pond State Park offers an absolutely incredible adventure with its Go Ape zip line tours. Go Ape zip line tours provide visitors with two-to-three hours of wholesome adventure where zip liners experience the natural scenery of the park from incredible heights, just as if you were animals on the treetops. Don’t miss out on the fun of flying among the oak trees and hardwoods of the park above the soothing murmurs of Lums Pond. The zip line tours feature treetop crossings and Tarzan swings. The zip line equipment also gives children ages 10 and up the opportunity to have fun with its Treetop Junior Course. The zip line tours are available year-round, except for the coldest months, January and February.
Make sure you pack your fishing gear in the RV because Lums Pond is a great place to catch some fish. Two fishing piers are available, and anglers can expect to catch carp, pickerel, crappie, catfish, largemouth bass, and hybrid striped bass. Also, the Chesapeake and Delaware Canals are just a short walk away, and there you can catch some colossal channel catfish as well as largemouth bass. Some of the best bait for fishing the canal include jigs, lures, live bait, and worms.
You may not have heard of disc golf, but you should give it a try. The only thing disc golf seems to have in common with actual golf is that you walk around the park and try to get your disc into the netted basket. Disc golf actually has more in common with frisbee and basketball than golf, but no matter what you call the sport, after you play, you’ll probably just call it fun. Lums Pond State Park is a registered 18-hole course approved by the Professional Disc Golf Association. With 12 holes under 300 feet, four under 400 feet, and two over 400 feet, this course is fun for beginners as well as experienced disc golfers.
