Introduction
Join us in our mission to connect families and friends to the resources Delaware State Parks has to offer. From natural rock walls at Alapocas State Park to the sandy beaches of Cape Henlopen, Delaware has something for everyone. The discoveries are endless when taking part in our Passport Program. Win prizes and make memories to last a lifetime.
Plan your hike, beach day, or historical tour, and while you're at the park take a photo of yourself at the passport photo location. Track the places you have visited. Upload your pictures and cool stories using the form on this page to share your adventures. Complete all 19 photo locations to win awesome Delaware State Parks gear and an annual pass for the next calendar year! Limited 2 annual passes per household. Participant must be in every submitted photo but family and friends are encouraged to join in on the fun.
Passport photo locations are listed below, followed by an interactive map showing all passport locations.
Alapocas Run State Park
The Blue Ball Barn has been home to the Delaware Folk Art Collection for more than a decade. The collection contains over 120 works from 50 artists and reflects the local cultures of Delaware. Visitors are invited to tour the barn and explore our cultural history. The Blue Ball Barn was the first public building in Delaware to become LEED-certified, meaning it meets stringent environmentally-friendly building design standards.
Park address: 1914 W Park Drive, Wilmington, DE 19803
Passport photo: Blue Ball Barn
Trail/directions: Optional: Northern Delaware Greenway
GPS coordinates: 39.776618, -75.54561
Auburn Valley State Park
The Marshall Bridge (formerly McIntyre Bridge) is an 1883 bowstring truss bridge from Iowa. Constructed by the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company, it spanned the Skunk River for over 100 years. A road closure and extensive storm damage marked the end of its life in Iowa. Disassembled, refurbished, and reconstructed by the nonprofit group Workin’ Bridges as part of historic bridge preservation efforts, it was repurposed by Delaware State Parks in 2018 as part of the Auburn Valley State Park trail system. The bridge was dedicated as the Marshall Family Bridge on November 9, 2018.
Park address: 698 Benge Road, Hockessin, DE 19707
Passport photo: Marshall Bridge
Trail/directions: Yorklyn Bridge Trail
GPS coordinates: 39.807075, -75.679680
Bellevue State Park
Bellevue State Park offers many opportunities for recreation including hiking trails, tennis courts, and cycling paths. This bridge crosses over a catch-and-release fishing pond. The pond is stocked with bass, catfish, and sunfish.
Park address: 800 Carr Rd., Wilmington, DE 19809
Passport photo: Bridge over Pond
Trail/directions: Unpaved trail around pond (off of Fitness Track)
GPS coordinates: 39.776750, -75.499587
Brandywine Creek State Park
This is a great place to watch for hawks and other raptors during their spring and fall migrations. From March through early May, look for northbound migrants. From September through November, you can see them flying south. Although mid-morning and late afternoon offer good chances to see hawks, migration patterns depend on the species and weather conditions.
Park address: 41 Adams Dam Rd, Wilmington, DE 19807
Passport photo: Hawk Watch
Trail/directions: No Trail
GPS coordinates: 39.804724, -75.577425
Brandywine Zoo
The Brandywine Zoo features animals from the tropical and temperate areas of North and South America, Asia, and Africa. These animals range from more common to highly endangered species. Take the opportunity to get an up-close look at the goats in the Zoo’s Goat Contact Area. *If you are concerned about social distancing within the zoo, you may take your photo from outside of the zoo gate. We hope you can enjoy the zoo again sometime soon!
Park address: 1001 N Park Dr, Wilmington, DE 19802
Passport photo: Goat Contact Area*
Trail/directions: No Trail
GPS coordinates: 39.755824, -75.549146
Cape Henlopen State Park
The lookout at Herring Point offers a picturesque view of the Atlantic Ocean coastline. You can take a path down to the beach or sit on the benches at Herring Point and look out over the water. This is a great place to watch the sunrise or look for dolphins in the water.
Park address: 15099 Cape Henlopen Dr., Lewes, DE 19958
Passport photo: Herring Point Overlook
Trail/directions: No Trail
GPS coordinates: 38.765937, -75.082579
Delaware Seashore State Park
Be swept back in time when night-time beach patrols and perilous high seas rescues were the only way to save shipwreck victims along the coasts of the United States. The original Indian River Life-Saving Station was built in 1876 for use by the United States Life-Saving Service, a government organization created to respond to the alarming number of shipwrecks along the coastlines of the United States and the precursor to today’s U.S. Coast Guard. The building was first located 400 feet closer to the shore, but a sand dune began to form around it almost as soon as it was finished. It was moved to its present location in 1877 and has been meticulously restored to its 1905 appearance, complete with diamond-shaped trim. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Park address: 25039 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
Passport photo: Indian River Life Saving Station
Trail/directions: No Trail
GPS coordinates: 38.633806, -75.066992
Fenwick Island State Park
Before this area became a park, the forces of nature constantly changed the narrow strip of barrier dunes between the Atlantic Ocean and Little Assawoman Bay. This area remained largely undisturbed as the towns of Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island grew around it. With an unobstructed view, this is one of the best places in Delaware to watch sunsets and sea birds dipping and diving into the Bay.
Park address: 36859 Coastal Highway, Fenwick Island, DE 19944
Passport photo: Fenwick Island State Park Boat Ramp
Trail/directions: No Trail
GPS coordinates: 38.497572, -75.056080
First State Heritage Park
Built in the 1760s, the John Bell House is the oldest documented timber-frame structure on The Green and is considered today to be an exceptionally rare example of an 18th-century workshop. Since the heady days of the American Revolution, the John Bell House has stood witness to a number of important moments in Delaware and national history, including the movement of the state capital to Dover under threat of British invasion, Delaware becoming the “First State” as its delegates ratified the U.S. Constitution in the nearby Golden Fleece Tavern, the upheaval of the Civil War, the push for Women’s Suffrage, and the march towards Civil Rights. Today, it still sits near the heart of governance in the Delaware State. The uses of the John Bell House have varied over the years and are still under archaeological study. Today the structure proudly serves as the interpretive center for First State Heritage Park: the focal point for three centuries of storytelling and the exploration of Delaware’s capital city. The John Bell House is currently open on Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m, and will have those same hours on Thursdays and Fridays starting October 22.
Park address: 43 The Green, Dover, DE 19901
Passport photo: John Bell House
Trail/directions: The Green
GPS coordinates: 39.156032, -75.523076
Fort Delaware State Park
Fort Delaware was full of cannons like this one, which were important for national defense. This gun could fire a 65-pound ball up to 2.25 miles! From up here you can also see all of Pea Patch Island, the Delaware River, and the shores of Delaware and New Jersey. During the Civil War, the island would not have looked as bare as it does today, it would have been packed with buildings and people. Fort Delaware is open seasonally and only accessible by boat. *Now that Fort Delaware is closed for the season, you may submit your photo from Delaware City, either in front of the ticket office or along the riverfront with Pea Patch Island in the background.
Park address: 45 Clinton St,, Delaware City, DE 19706
Passport photo: Columbiad cannon*
Trail/directions: No Trail
GPS coordinates: 39.589919, -75.568109
Fort Dupont State Park
The Theatre at Fort DuPont was constructed in 1933 by the U.S. Army’s 1st Engineer Regiment and Works Progress Administration. Created to provide entertainment for soldiers, their families, employees, and civilians, the theatre sold tickets for 10 to 20 cents apiece. Seating about 400 people, patrons could enjoy popular movies of the time including Shirley Temple features.
Park address: Sussex Ave (between New Castle Ave and Exchange Rd), Delaware City, DE 19706
Passport photo: Movie Theatre
Trail/directions: No Trail
GPS coordinates: 39.573059, -75.585599
Fort Miles Historical Area and Museum at Cape Henlopen State Park
Fort Miles was a former World War II military base that functioned as a key piece of our nation’s coastal defense from the 1940s through the 1970s. The fire control towers were an important part of the defense where observers were able to triangulate the location, speed, and direction of enemy warships off the coast. The towers were not equipped with weapons, but the observers in the tower took azimuth readings were used to aim the guns located in the batteries below.
Park address: 15099 Cape Henlopen Dr., Lewes, DE 19958
Passport photo: Observation Tower (Tower 7, across from Fort Miles Historical Area)
Trail/directions: Optional: Bike Loop
GPS coordinates: 38.776719, -75.092874
Holts Landing State Park
The fishing pier at Holts Landing State Park offers recreational fishermen a place to fish, crab, or clam with a general fishing license. Fish that are commonly caught here may include Atlantic Croaker, Black Sea Bass, Summer Flounder, Tautog, Bluefish, and Striped Bass. From the end of the pier, you can see the Indian River Inlet Bridge to the right.
Park address: 27046 Holts Landing Rd,, Dagsboro DE 19939
Passport photo: Fishing Pier
Trail/directions: Turn left out of the traffic circle, fishing pier is across from the pavillion
GPS coordinates: 38.591588, -75.128467
Killens Pond State Park
The centerpiece of Killens Pond State Park is the 66-acre millpond that was established in the late 1700s. Before the pod was created, the Murderkill River and surrounding hardwood forests were the sites of Native American homes and hunting camps. Today, the pond is home to several fish species including Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, and Pickerel. *Because this section of the Pondside Nature Trail is currently closed, please take your photo as close as you can while following the signs. You may also take your photo at another point on the Pondside Nature Trail, such as over the bridge or behind the nature center.
Park address: 5025 Killens Pond Rd, Felton, DE 19943
Passport photo: Boat Rental Area*
Trail/directions: Optional: Pondside Nature Trail from Nature Center
GPS coordinates: 38.982799, -75.531559
Lums Pond State Park
The Whale Wallow trail is a 0.1 mile loop boardwalk located behind the nature center in the Lums Pond Nature Preserve. This trail takes you through the forest and gives you an up close look at a special wetland known as a Delmarva Bay. The Delmarva Bay is seasonally flooded and is not full of water year round. Therefore it is a special habitat for amphibians and insects. Stop by in the spring to hear the calls of the wood frogs and spring peepers!
Park address: 1068 Howell School Rd,, Bear, DE 19701
Passport photo: Overlook of the Delmarva Bay
Trail/directions: Whale Wallow Trail (behind Nature Center)
GPS coordinates: 39.563256, -75.729412
Port Penn Interpretive Center
During the spring, when the shad run was on, fishermen from Port Penn would want to spend as much time on the river as possible. Floating cabins like these could be towed out with a boat and anchored at a specific spot, so that fishermen would not miss a moment of the action. These cabins usually had a kind of tank or outlet to keep caught fish alive until the cabin was hauled back into shore. This cabin contains a bed, a small cupboard, a stove for warmth, and a small table.
Park address: 5 Port Penn Rd, Middletown, DE 19709
Passport photo: Floating Cabin
Trail/directions: Wetlands Trail
GPS coordinates: 39.518840, -75.578249
Trap Pond State Park
The Bethesda Methodist Episcopal Church was built in 1879 to replace an older chapel. This rural country church is an excellent example of the Greek Revival style of architecture. Although it was a center of activity for more than a century, regular church services came to an end during the 1970s. The building remained vacant and was in poor condition when the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation purchased it in 2000. Retaining as much of the surviving materials as possible, the church was completely restored in 2008.
Park address: 16611 Wooten Road, Laurel, DE 19956
Passport photo: Bethesda Methodist Episcopal Church
Trail/directions: Optional: Bob Trail
GPS coordinates: 38.517068, -75.453106
White Clay Creek State Park
Join us this year in celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Chambers House! Built circa 1820 by Joseph Chambers, this house is built from locally quarried rock, just like the ones seen near the creek. After 1841, the house changed hands many times until distant relatives of the original owners bought it. In 1959, the house and land were sold to E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company which planned to build a dam on White Clay Creek. When public protests stopped construction of the dam, the property was donated to the State of Delaware. Today the Chambers House is the nature center for White Clay Creek State Park.
Park address: 1475 Creek Road, Newark, DE 19711
Passport photo: Chambers House Nature Center
Trail/directions: Optional: Mason Dixon or Nature Preserve Trails
GPS coordinates: 39.727193, -75.768134
Wilmington State Parks
Built between 1899 and 1902, Rockford Tower has held a dual purpose for the Wilmington community for over a century. Constructed of natural field stone in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, Rockford Tower is an observation platform and water tower, providing water to the surrounding communities. Rockford Tower was open to the public until World War II, when it was closed for security reasons. Since the end of the war, the tower has been open and closed at various times but still remains as a landmark and a defining feature of Rockford Park. Rockford Tower is open on Sunday afternoons during the summer, Monday evenings during concerts, and for special programs.
Park address: Lookout Dr, Wilmington DE 19806
Passport photo: Rockford Tower
Trail/directions: Lookout Dr
GPS coordinates: 39.767350, -75.574614
Some trails may be challenging for those with limited mobility. If you cannot reach the photo location, please take your selfie as close as you safely can.
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Brandywine Zoo and Wilmington State Parks
