Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

National Wildlife Refuge Run By The US Fish And Wildlife Service, Set Aside In 1937 As A Haven For Migrating Birds On The Delaware Bay Shore · Smyrna, Delaware

Bombay Hook is a federal wildlife refuge of roughly 16,000 acres on the Delaware Bay shore, about 15 minutes east of Smyrna, set aside in 1937 as a resting and feeding stop for birds on the Atlantic Flyway. Most of it is tidal salt marsh cut by winding creeks, and the rest is a string of managed freshwater pools, wooded edges and farm fields. Visitors see it mainly from the Wildlife Drive, a gravel loop of about 12 miles that you drive or cycle slowly, stopping at Raymond, Shearness, Bear Swamp and Finis pools, at observation towers and at short boardwalk and woodland trails. It is one of the best birding places on the East Coast. In autumn and early winter tens of thousands of snow geese gather on the marsh and lift off together in a roar; in May shorebirds such as red knots feed on horseshoe crab eggs along the bay; in late summer avocets fill the pools, and bald eagles nest here. It is flat, open and quiet, with few facilities, a small per-vehicle entry fee, and biting flies that make midsummer hard work.

2591 Whitehall Neck Road, Smyrna, Delaware, 19977, United States

The refuge grounds and the Wildlife Drive are generally open every day of the year from about sunrise to sunset, and the gate is closed outside those hours, so an early start in winter or a sunset visit in summer has to fit inside that window; do not plan to be on the drive after dark. The visitor center keeps much shorter hours than the drive: it is usually staffed on weekdays and on some weekends in the busy spring and autumn seasons, and it closes on federal holidays, so on many weekends you will find the building shut while the drive is open. Restrooms near the visitor center are the only ones on the refuge. Parts of the refuge close during managed hunting seasons, mainly for deer and waterfowl in autumn and winter, and on some hunt days the Wildlife Drive itself or some trails may be closed for all or part of the day; check the refuge's hunt calendar before a long drive. Heavy rain, flooding tides and maintenance can also close sections of the gravel road. Confirm current hours, fee collection and any closures before you go.

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos