Slaughter Beach
Small Incorporated Town And Public Bay Beach On The Delaware Bay Shore East Of Milford, Designated A Horseshoe Crab Sanctuary · Slaughter Beach, Delaware
Slaughter Beach is a tiny town strung along one road on the Delaware Bay shore, about fifteen to twenty minutes east of Milford, with a narrow public beach in front of a single row of houses and salt marsh behind. There is no boardwalk, no surf, almost no commerce and, as far as is known, no lifeguard. The water is calm, shallow and brownish, and on a clear evening you can watch the sun drop over the bay toward the New Jersey shore. What makes it worth the drive is the horseshoe crab. Delaware Bay hosts what is often described as the largest horseshoe crab spawning population in the world, and on high tides around the new and full moons in May and June, mostly at night, the crabs come ashore here in numbers to lay eggs in the sand. Migrating red knots and other shorebirds stop on this coast to feed on those eggs. The town has been designated a horseshoe crab sanctuary, and volunteers turn stranded crabs back over. The spectacle belongs to the whole bay, but this quiet beach is one of the easiest places to see it.
Bay Avenue, Slaughter Beach, Delaware, 19963, United States
The beach is a public town beach reached from Bay Avenue and is generally open at all hours, with no gate and no entry fee - access is FREE; confirm any town rules on overnight parking, fires, driving on the sand and dogs, which can change by season. There is no lifeguard at any time as far as is known, no bathhouse and very few if any public restrooms, and no store or restaurant you can count on, so arrive supplied; confirm. The horseshoe crab spawn is SEASONAL and tide-driven: it runs roughly from May into June and peaks on the evening and night high tides around the new and full moons, so check a tide table rather than the clock. The DuPont Nature Center up the road at Mispillion Harbor keeps its own limited season and days, roughly spring to autumn and closed in winter - confirm before driving there. Parking is along the road and in small lots; do not block driveways or private access paths. Storms and very high tides can flood the road and the marsh edge.