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Click the Pictures! tab above to see photos of folks doing community service in the park.
The park is at the site of an open-pit mine that existed from before recorded history until the early 20th century. Iron Hill was allowed to revert to the beautiful natural wooded area that is now the 335-acre Iron Hill Park. The nonprofit Friends of Iron Hill Park was established in March of 2008 and comprises people who share an interest in the Park and are willing to volunteer some of their time to work with New Castle County to promote family activities within the Park. We promote projects, programs, and educational opportunities that help meet the demand for outdoor recreation and natural resource protection.
The Park entrance is 1337 Old Baltimore Pike, at the intersection with Robert L. Melson Lane, just east of the Iron Hill Museum and west of Route 896 in Newark, Delaware, 19702. The old entrance on Whittaker Road is closed except for foot and bicycle traffic. Parking is not permitted at this former entrance. For a map showing directions to the park, click here.
Trail Mapping and Marking Project
Friends of Iron Hill Park have partnered with Henry’s Racing Team and First State Velo Sport to plan and execute updated mapping and trail marking in Iron Hill Park. Take a look at the Trail Project tab for details.
Iron Hill Park Trail Hikes
UPDATE
These hikes were a Friends fixture for many years. We think Iron Hill Park’s wooded and hilly terrain is perfect for hikes.
But after the Friends’ original permanent hike leaders (Pat and Lorraine Fett) took their well-deserved retirement, we eventually weren’t able to field a permanent cadre of leaders which could support the annual hikes’ fixed schedule, as sponsored by the Friends. So it’s with regret that we have had to formally end the Friends’ Iron Hill Trail Hikes as a regularly scheduled activity, effective with 2023.
A bright spot in recent years has been the ad hoc support of the Wilmington Trail Club to the Friends‘ scheduled hikes.
For their part, Wilmington Trail Club extends this invitation to the Friends:
WTC plans to continue to have occasional hikes at Iron Hill Park, and you are welcome to join us as non-members for 2 free hikes. After that, Membership is only $18.00 per year, which enables you to participate in all of our offered activities, which include hiking, backpacking, kayaking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. To find out about activity schedules and information about joining our club, please refer to our Website at https://wilmingtontrailclub.org
Thank you! Karyn Derman, WTC Hiking ChairThe Friends of Iron Hill Park remains open to suggestions from our membership, as well as from any who enjoy hiking Iron Hill Park, including any fresh ideas about how to continue to encourage organized or ad-hoc hikes going forward. We welcome any such suggestions via the Contact Us tab.
The Bark Park
One of the most popular attractions in Iron Hill Park is a two-section dog exercise area, one area for small dogs and one for larger dogs. If you have a reasonably well-behaved dog who is up to date on its shots, come visit for some socializing! If your dog’s socializing turns into an altercation, be sure to exchange phone numbers in case you have to visit the veterinarian and your vet needs the other dog’s shot record. Sorry to be sticky about this, but it’s important. Poop is another important thing. Use the supplied baggies (or your own) to pick up your dog’s doo-doo. One last thing: the Bark Park is the only location in Iron Hill Park where a dog may be off leash.
Other Attractions
Iron Hill supports several outdoor activities. There’s a large playground next to the dog park for human puppies.
The park has an extensive, professionally-designed disc golf course, one of the largest around. (If you find a lost golf disc, you can put it into the large disc rescue bin and the local disc club will find a good home for it.)
Several geocaches are hidden in the park, and you can travel on miles of trails for hiking and bicycle trail riding and relax in several picnic areas. By the way, it’s tempting, but don’t make any new bike trails. Trails require special permission and construction techniques, and if they catch you making a “volunteer” one, you can get into trouble.
Like to party? Want to reserve the pavilion? We don’t take reservations, but the county does. Go here: http://nccde.org/420/Permits. It’s toward the bottom of the page. You have to go through a couple more pages to complete the online permit application.
Want to be a friend of Iron Hill Park?
Look over the Volunteering and Donations pages on this site to see what interests you, and use the Contact us page if you have any questions or comments. We are always looking for new folks.
The Donations page lists some of the organizations and individuals who have graciously supported the Friends. Please thank them!
Iron Hill Science Center
Their building is at 1115 Robert L. Melson Lane, the Park driveway. They are a fine organization. Go visit.
Research at Iron Hill Park
Outside agencies sometimes conduct scientific research in Iron Hill Park. We know of six current projects, all from the University of Delaware—one researching soil composition, three studying insects, and one about birds. You might see some insect traps hanging from poles, or low white boxes. They aren’t poisonous, but don’t mess with them. (It offends the bugs.)
One that appeared in the past near Whittaker Road looked like a tent. It caught native bees. Humans don’t know much about woodland bees, and this is a good way to learn about them. Maybe this project will help us understand what’s going on in all those diseased honeybee hives. The project is a joint venture of University of Delaware and the US Geological Survey.
Another project, a joint partnership between the University of Delaware and the USFS, is about learning what kinds of critters and vegetation live in these small, fragmented woodlands like Iron Hill Park.
Research areas are marked by colored flags or ribbons. If you see these, steer clear of the area and leave the markers undisturbed. On the other hand, if you see a car parked by the area and a researcher nearby, they will most likely be happy to tell you about their project. For general questions or comments, call (302) 738-5529.