White Clay Creek State Park began very small, with the state buying 24.3 acres in 1968. Today – following donations, purchases and acquisitions from du Pont family members, the DuPont Co. and other landowners – the park is very large, on its way to covering nearly 3,650 acres.

“We’d like all of our parks to grow,” said Ray Bivens, director of the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation. “But the really unusual part of its history is how developed the area already was. There’s very little like this on the I-95 corridor from Baltimore to Philadelphia.”

“The lush greenery, vast landscapes and sparkling streams of White Clay Creek State Park offer a refreshing change of pace from the surrounding growth of development,” the park’s 2021 master plan says early on. It’s “a vital protected area of scenic and recreational open space,” its official online profile says, also noting that the creek itself has been designated a National Wild and Scenic River.

Fans vote with their feet, their bicycle pedals and whatever else they use to reach the park for relaxation, exercise, sports and even commuting. The park logs at least 300,000 visits a year.

For the master plan, the division surveyed users on what they wanted to change. The top answer was “nothing,” and “no more pavement” was No. 3. More bike trails and features was No. 2; more trails was No. 4; and more pedestrian-only trails was No. 5.

Bivens considers the survey “a validation that we’re doing a good job.” And even though the master plan outlines 63 action items, he doesn’t think that they all will get done. And visitors can expect a lot of the same. Because that’s what they want.

The latest expansion

In January, Delaware announced a 275-acre expansion of the park, which it called “the last major privately owned land within the park.”

The boundaries of the park are complex. Its western edges are roughly formed by Route 896 and the Pennsylvania state line. On the north and east, it sometimes reaches out to Corner Ketch and Paper Mill roads. One 505-acre section, called the Judge Morris Estate, lies disconnected at the foot of Paper Mill. So it’s no surprise that it has 10 public access points for vehicles and 35 for those using trails.

The latest addition is a du Pont family estate known as Rocky Hill. It comes from Sabrina du Pont-Langenegger (great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter of E.I. du Pont) and her husband Conrad Langenegger. To help the state with the arcana of budgeting for big expenses, they split the donation into three pieces, closing the deals over several months. In a tribute to her father, William K. du Pont, they gave a $1.3 million endowment through the Delaware Community Foundation to support Delaware State Parks. They also kept about 93 acres.

Gov. John Carney said “it represents the largest investment and private partner contributions” to a project under Delaware’s Open Space Program, which since 1990 has added 45,000 acres to Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control holdings. The program also supports holdings of the Delaware Forest Service and the state’s Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.

The $26 million project was made possible with $19.5 million from the program and $6 million secured from Mt. Cuba Center through The Conservation Fund. The project was also awarded a $500,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through Walmart’s Acres for America program. This is the first time Acres for America has funded a project in Delaware.

“It is a testament to Delaware’s long tradition of building partnerships to achieve major conservation outcomes,” said Blaine Phillips, senior vice president at The Conservation Fund. For state parks, such partnerships include Bellevue (another du Pont estate) and Cape Henlopen (a former military site).

Trails, trails and trails

“The largest asset of this park is its network of landscapes that allows visitors to be immersed in the natural environment,” the master plan writes. “Minimizing development is important for aesthetic and environmental reasons. The things people enjoy most about the park are trails, nature, biking and hiking/walking. About 75% of comments mentioned one or more of these topics. … The most common comment was to prevent any dramatic change in the feel of the park.”

An impressive network of trails allows people to explore the park and, surprisingly, for people to commute to the University of Delaware. The 40 miles or so of trails in White Clay represent a quarter of the trails in state parks, and park leaders recognize there are competing interests for them.

For instance, bird watchers who savor silence to hear birds might be bothered by joggers listening to music. Pedestrians and folks pushing baby carriages might be concerned by speedy e-bikers.

“Some activities don’t mesh well,” Bivens said. “Our job is to balance.” That’s why one action item is promoting trail etiquette. More trails could also spread out usage. The master plan maps out lots of trails to be retained, a large number of trails proposed and a small number of trails to be abandoned.

Officials are considering extended-use permits that would allow use of some trails from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., a boon for people who want to be outdoors in the winter.

Officials are also considering enhancing the environment by setting aside acreage as a nature preserve and perhaps limiting pesticides and herbicides on the 600 acres leased as farmland.

No more yard waste

“Communities of native plants, migrating and nesting bird, and many other species rely on White Clay Creek’s woodlands, stream valleys and ridges,” said Ann C. Rose, Mt. Cuba Center’s president.

They also want to manage the park better for its flora and fauna, especially the invasive plants that dominate the understory. One move in that fight is from the Wilmington Trail Club, which regularly unites volunteers to remove the invasives. Another is closing a yard waste disposal site.

The disposal site, on Polly Drummond Hill Road, “has also been abused by contractors, non-residents and illegal dumping. Sediment and aesthetic concerns have increased,” the master plan says.

When Delaware banned yard waste from landfills in 2007, it set up three “demonstration” sites where people could, for free, drop off branches, brush, leaves and grass clippings. Sites at a DART facility near Bear and at Bellevue State Park have already closed, after drawing complaints by workers and neighbors. The White Clay site was closed for a bit in early 2023 after two suspicious fires.

Officials plan to open the White Clay drop-off site this season and are talking to officials at the Delaware Solid Waste Authority about alternatives when they permanently close it.

Interesting possibilities in the plan include adding campsites, plus all-season restrooms and water fountains. The initial costs of a campground could hit $1 million, but it would make money in the long term and fulfill a surging demand.

New uses for old buildings

Several of the top-ranked items involve some of the park’s 75 buildings. About half are underutilized. Many need work. Some could be demolished. Identifying and using a single, clear name for each building is an unranked part of the plan.

Ranked No. 1 is converting the Chambers House into a welcome center and offices and using the Robinson House as staff housing, with trail access to new displays about the history of the area, including an old recommendation to dam the White Clay and create a reservoir. This project, for facilities off Hopkins Road, would increase space for school programs and summer camps – which Bivens said are at capacity – and other activities. The Chambers House can only accommodate groups of about 25, and school groups regularly number 90.

Other highly ranked projects nearby involve adding an education building, for programming and rentals, and restrooms; and redesigning the road access and parking.

It wants to move the park office to the Maxwell House, off Wedgewood Road. As the plan bluntly says: the current office has limited parking, no cellphone reception, no meeting space and accessibility challenges. It is also not easy to find and is far from other facilities and organized activities.

The park wants to find tenants for the Nivens Complex, the Lamborn Estate (a “bed and breakfast, corporate retreat, reception center, business offices [and] wedding party accommodations” are among the possibilities listed in the master plan) and the 1790s Judge Morris Estate. “We’re wide open” to what might be offered from these facilities, Bivens said, citing the zip line and horseback riding at Lums Pond State Park and the tennis center and wedding venue at Bellevue State Park.

The park now has partnerships with a full-service golf course (Deerfield), a remote controlled aircraft club (Silent Knights Soaring Society) and others.