The 5 best places for summer hiking in Delaware

From the rocky hills of the Brandywine to the flat woodlands of Trap Pond, Delaware offers a variety of options for hikers.

But hiking in the summer heat is a bit of a different animal. It takes planning and preparation. Then there are the bugs: ticks, chiggers and mosquitoes, to name a few. Anyone who's so much as opened their car door a crack at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in the summertime knows the flies make it nearly impossible to hike there at that time of year.

With a little bit of research, though, there are plenty of places to hike in Delaware in the summertime that will satisfy your urge for nature and exercise. Here are a few.

Assawoman Wildlife Area, Miller Neck Tract

Assawoman Wildlife Area is a lesser-known natural area in southern Sussex County. It's made up of several tracts, but the best hiking area, in this reporter's humble opinion, is the Miller Neck Tract.

Located in the Bayard area of Frankford, Miller Neck juts out into the Little Assawoman Bay and features woodlands, wetlands, meadows, ponds and beaches.

There's only one trail at Miller Neck, and it's technically an auto tour route. That's what makes it so great for summer hiking. The dirt road keeps hikers safe from ticks and, in most places, well-shaded by loblolly pines. The wetlands and numerous ponds provide prime wildlife viewing, as well as a 40-foot-tall observation tower overlooking Mulberry and Sixty-Five Acre ponds.

It's about a 3-mile round trip between the check-in station to Mulberry Landing, where there's a boat ramp, a pavilion with picnic tables, a killer view of the bay and a heavenly bay breeze. You also can take a short jaunt over to Sassafras Landing, where there's a small beach and kayak launch.

A Conservation Access Pass is required to access any Delaware Wildlife Area, which can be purchased at dnrec.delaware.gov. Also available at the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control website is a trail map.

Tip: Insects are a guarantee no matter where you are outdoors in the summertime. Always wear bug spray. Stay on trails and out of tall grass. Don't root around in leaf litter or roll over decaying logs. If you're willing to make the effort, treating your clothes with permethrin will drastically decrease your chance of being bitten by ticks and mosquitoes.

Cape Henlopen State Park, Gordon's Pond Trail

Enter Cape Henlopen State Park and park at Herring Point to begin this 5-mile roundtrip trail, or do it in reverse and start at the Gordon's Pond Parking lot in Rehoboth Beach.

The surface of the Gordon's Pond Trail is a mix of crushed stone and boardwalk, so it's a great option for not only walkers but anyone on wheels, too. It winds through dunes and forested coastal wetlands, with plenty of lookout points and benches to rest on. There's a wildlife viewing tower less than a mile from the Gordon's Pond parking lot.

The trail edges the west side of Gordon's Pond, which is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by only a dune, and visible to the west of the trail is the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. Great blue herons, green herons, great egrets, snowy egrets, dunlins, sanderlings and other sorts of shorebirds abound, making for great photography, as well.

President Joe Biden can attest to the enjoyability of this trail — he frequents it on his bike. The Bidens have a home close by in North Shores. Watch out for closures of the Gordon's Pond parking lot when the Marine One helicopter is landing or taking off.

Find a map of this trail at destateparks.com.

Tip: Bring water and freeze it beforehand. In the heat of summer, with the sun beating down, you might start feeling a little desperate in the middle of this trail. You'll be grateful if you bring a hat and sunglasses, too. Much of the trail is unshaded, so wear sunscreen, and the only restrooms are port-a-potties at either end of the trail, so go before you start.

Killens Pond State Park, Pondside Trail

The 66-acre Killens Pond is located in Felton, next door to Lake Forest High School and along the Murderkill River. (Let's get this out of the way: "Kill" is an Americanized version of a Dutch word for a body of water.)

The 2.6-mile Pondside Trail runs the perimeter of the former millpond and offers lush plants, birding opportunities, plenty of reptiles and amphibians and, perhaps most importantly, shade. The state parks website calls it an "easy to moderate hike" on a packed-earth surface. Short connector trails offer sweeping views of the pond.

As a bonus, Killens Pond has a small waterpark to cool off in after hiking, as well as all the other state park amenities, such as a nature center, pavilions and more. Find out more at destateparks.com.

Tip: Delaware State Parks require an entry fee in the summertime. (No entrance fee is charged at Brandywine Park, Rockford Park and H. Fletcher Brown Park). If you frequent them, an annual pass will save you money and sometimes allow you to go to the front of the line to get in. You can get one at delawarestateparks.com or at any state park office.

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White Clay Creek State Park, Tri-State Marker Trail

If you're up for something a little more challenging and want to casually mention you hiked through three states in one day, White Clay Creek's Tri-State Marker Trail is the one for you.

The Tri-State Marker Trail epitomizes the piedmont stream valley's beauty, full of water, trees, flowers and birds. It's a hilly, 4-mile loop that exists mostly in Pennsylvania but starts in Delaware. It passes the stone marker at the intersection of Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland's boundaries, originally surveyed by Mason and Dixon in the 1700s.

The surface of the trail is well-tread dirt in most places and travels through fields and forests. There are numerous bridges over streams.

Park at the White Clay Creek State Park Nature Center, where there are also restrooms, off Hopkins Road near Newark. More information is available at delawarestateparks.org.

Jack A. Markell Trail

Ever been driving on I-95, seen the hikers and bikers on the Jack A. Markell trail and wished you were them?

Make it happen this summer. From the northern end of the Wilmington Riverfront to the New Castle's Battery Park on the southern end, the Markell trail is a fairly easy hike that runs about 5.5 miles roundtrip. It includes a 3,300-foot boardwalk that crosses the Russell Peterson Wildlife Refuge, which consists of a 212-acre freshwater tidal marsh, and the Christina River. The Delaware Nature Society's DuPont Environmental Education Center is located on the trail, just south of the Riverfront.

The Wilmington Riverfront, of course, features a variety of restaurants and the Delaware Children's Museum. On the southern end, the trail runs through forest into Historic New Castle, where museums, taverns, Battery Park and other delights await.

The trail is easily broken up into whatever length you're up for at the time. Find a map at delawaregreenways.org.

Tip: Safety is paramount on any trail. On the Markell trail in particular, you'll pass through two tunnels, under I-295 and Route 13. Approach them with caution and, if needed, a flashlight. Bring a fully charged phone in case of emergency. Always let someone know where and when you're hiking and check in with them when you're done.

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.