The best running trails in New Castle County

I ride the Pomeroy trail a lot - it's great! Pomeroy runs through Newark, crossed Main Street (and a local bike shop), and into White Clay Creek State Park. At the park it divides with Pomeroy turning into a gravel trail on one side of the creek, and Penn Del trail, a paved trail, on the other side. They meet up again at Hopkins Road if you want to explore both sides. Penn Del continues as a gravel/singletrack/paved trail up into Pennsylvania. Both trails make for a great family hike or bike ride for all skill levels.

Bellevue State Park, a 328-acre park in Wilmington's suburbs, offers year-round recreation from 8 a.m. until sunset. Named after Bellevue Hall, the former mansion of William du Pont Jr., the park features facilities built by du Pont, including barns, horse stables, indoor and outdoor horse tracks (which is now a fitness track for people), tennis courts, and a pond. The park is also home to the historic Mount Pleasant Methodist Episcopal Church, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and Cauffiel House near Stoney Creek. The state of Delaware purchased the estate in 1976, transforming it into a public park with a variety of recreational facilities. In addition to the paved walking trails, the Northern Delaware Greenway runs through it, connecting it with several other parks in the area.

The loop around is 1.1 miles. Not overly crowded, so can be a fun spot to do some laps and compare times.

Tons of hiking and biking trails to enjoy, great for any level of experience. Just be careful, the PA side of the park does not permit bikes on their trails. Scenic and a nice escape.

The Brandywine Unit of the First State National Historical Park is located in northern Delaware's scenic Brandywine Valley, and characterized by rolling hills, woodlands, and the Brandywine River. You can hike to the Brandywine Creek State Park, which offers hiking, bird watching, and fishing across over 900 acres of meadows, forests, and streams. The Brandywine Unit preserves the landscapes that inspired artists like Andrew Wyeth, attracting visitors interested in both nature and art. You can also see the adjacent Ramsey Farm, an idyllic working farm south of First State National Historical Park.

Beaver Valley is a beautiful, bucolic area that spans the Pennsylvania-Delaware border in Delaware County, PA, and New Castle County, DE. Much of this area falls within the First State National Historical Park and is adjacent to Brandywine Creek State Park, which you can walk to via scenic hiking trails. Most of these trails are open for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, birdwatching, and cross-country skiing. Birders often come to the area to observe numerous migratory and resident bird species. This is a fantastic, beautiful place to explore when visiting Brandywine Creek State Park or First State National Historical Park; if you hike up to Beaver Valley, you can tell people that you've walked to Pennsylvania!

Brandywine Trail is one of the most popular trails in the Brandywine Creek State Park. This trail parallels the eastern side of the river through the trees with several trails intersecting it, allowing you to make hikes of almost any length. If you wish to get closer to the water on hot summer days, you can take connector trails to the Creekside Trail, which is just a few hundred yards closer to the river.

In the Brandywine Park, the "Augustine Cut-off" features three significant bridges: a small pedestrian suspension bridge within the park, the stone arch CSX Brandywine River Railroad Bridge built in 1910 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and the Augustine Bridge, a truss bridge originally built in 1885 for railroad use and converted to vehicular traffic in 1920. This area, historically notable for its water-powered industry and designed in part by Frederick Law Olmsted, is just downstream from the Augustine Paper Mill complex. The mill, with its seven 19th-century stone buildings, is largely replaced by modern construction, though Building 7, a three-story mill with thick stone walls and a slate roof, survives. It was acquired by the Container Corporation of America in 1942, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and redeveloped into a gated condominium complex in 1985.