Alapocas Run State Park

Delaware State Park In A Wooded Valley On The Brandywine Just North Of Wilmington, With The Restored 1914 Blue Ball Barn, A Fully Accessible Playground And A Climbing Wall On An Old Granite Quarry Face · Wilmington, Delaware

Alapocas Run State Park is a narrow wooded valley on the edge of north Wilmington, running down from the busy Concord Pike area toward the Brandywine River. It stitches together several quite different pieces. Up top is the Blue Ball Barn, a dairy barn built for the du Pont family in 1914 and restored as the park's center, now home to the Delaware Folk Art Collection and a popular event space. Beside it is the Can-Do Playground, built to be fully accessible so that children using wheelchairs can play alongside everyone else. Down in the woods, along the stream that gives the park its name, is Alapocas Woods, and below that a cliff of dark Brandywine blue gneiss left by an old quarry, now the Rock Wall, where staff run climbing sessions in season. The Northern Delaware Greenway trail threads through it all, linking Rockwood to the east and Brandywine Park downstream. It is small and suburban, but it packs a lot in for a free walk.

1914 West Park Drive, Wilmington, Delaware, 19803, United States

The park is open every day, generally from about 8 AM to sunset; confirm current hours. Entry to the park has generally been free, with no per-vehicle fee at the main lots, unlike many Delaware state parks - confirm, because fee rules can change. The Blue Ball Barn keeps its own shorter hours for the folk art exhibits, often weekday daytime and some weekends, and it closes to the public for private events and weddings, especially on weekend evenings; admission to the exhibits has generally been free. Climbing on the Rock Wall is not open to drop-in climbers on their own gear at any time: staffed climbing sessions and programs run in the warmer months on a set schedule, need registration and a fee, and stop in wet weather - confirm the season, days and any independent-climber permit. The Can-Do Playground is open during park hours. The lower trails near the river can be muddy or partly closed after storms.

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