NEWS

Cape Henlopen park campground closed

Molly Murray
The News Journal

The campground at Cape Henlopen State Park closed Wednesday for $3.5 million in upgrades that will include construction of a camp store, creation of campsites that are tucked among the trees and the addition of electric hookups at some sites.

The work is expected to be complete in time for next summer's camping season in June 2017, said Ray Bivens, state director of parks and recreation.

People can continue to use the state's online reservation system to make camping plans for the summer of 2017 at Cape Henlopen. They can also try out other state park camping areas at Lums and Killens ponds or Delaware Seashore State Park, Bivens said.

New cabins, opened earlier this year at Cape Henlopen State Park, are part of a multi-year, upgrade at the campground.

"There are plenty of options," he said.

The work at Cape Henlopen is part of a planned, three-phase upgrade.

The first two phases cost $2.1 million and included construction of two bathhouses in the park campground. The project doubled the bathroom capacity.

Bivens said it also addressed a key complaint of visitors. This year, the state added six additional cabins to the campground inventory.

The latest work will address two other complaints.

"People want electric. People want a camp store," Bivens said.

STORY: Cape Henlopen fishing pier reopens

STORY: Kickstarter campaign to fund cabins at Cape Henlopen State Park

The biggest changes will come in the layout of the campground.

Campers have been parking in spaces along the roadway.

Bivens said the road will be narrowed to about half its present width and will be converted to a one-way traffic flow. Pad spaces will be laid amid the trees to create a more wooded, camp-like feel for RV campers. A few spaces will be pull-through to accommodate large recreational vehicles.

The idea is to preserve as many trees as possible. In addition, campers used to have to walk through campsites to reach the bathhouses. A network of walkways will be added to provide better access. Tent campers will also get their own area within the campground, Bivens said.

Half of the cost of the three-year project, which totals $5.5 million, is being paid with a federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grants.The state share comes from the state bond bill. In addition, a small percentage of the money used to build the new cabins was raised through a Kickstarter campaign.

Contact Molly Murray at (302) 463-3334 or mmurray@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @MollyMurraytnj..