Alapocas Run State Park Climbing

Alapocas Run State Park is Delaware’s most well-known and accessible climbing area in the state. Situated in Wilmington, DE, close to both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, this state park has more to offer than just climbing and is a popular destination for families, birders, hikers, and a variety of other outdoor enthusiasts.

Despite providing the community with over 415 acres of mature woods and trails, the Park has the climbing area on full display and it overlooks the beautiful Brandywine River. The Main Climbing Wall was born from the remnants of a former quarry which operated from 1870 to 1938 and provided the Wilmington Blue Rock, a gneiss, used to construct Rockford Park’s iconic tower, the walls throughout Brandywine Park, and the National Harbor of Refuge in Lewes, DE. Scars from the quarry are still visible on the rock and can be seen on many of the routes. Within those scars are a good variety of different problems for a climber of any experience to have a good day out.

The park was originally known as Alapocas Woods and only covered 123 acres, later growing to 145 over a short number of years. Spearheading the conservation of the woods was William Poole Bancroft, the noted figure of the early land conservation movements. Bancroft was especially dedicated to preserving the beauty of the Brandywine River for future generations leading to the establishment of other parks such as Rockford Park, now the premier Delaware bouldering area.

In 1999 the state of Delaware launched the Blue Ball Project to redo the roads around the parks and expand its coverage. Through the project Alapocas Run was expanded to cover an additional 145 acres of mature woodland, with an additional 70 acres donated as a conservation easement. (46 of the 70 acres was later donated in 2015). In 2002, Alapocas Run State Park was officially dedicated.

More information on regulations and directions can be found below, or by visiting the park’s website, here. For further information on the routes themselves click on the Main Climbing Wall tab, or utilize Michael Hartman’s free guide to the area, here.