For an outing that immerses you in acres of open land, teeming with wildlife, travel to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge.  Established in 1937 the refuge’s purpose is to provide safe breeding, feeding and resting areas for migratory birds and other wildlife.  Located along the Atlantic Flyway and the Delaware Birding Trail, approximately 150,000 ducks and geese, shorebirds and song birds migrate to Bombay Hook each year.

• If you enjoy birding, hunting, wildlife observation, photography, environmental education and interpretive programs, all can be experienced in Bombay Hook Wildlife Refuge.  Even those of you who are history buffs, are rewarded with the historic Allee House dating back to 1753!
• The roads, dike systems and impoundments you’ll see while traveling through the awe inspiring acreage were started and built by the Civilian Conservation Corps between 1938-1942. 
• Today, you can drive or walk the 12-mile loop that traverses a variety of habitats including fresh and salt marshes, ponds, mudflats, woodlands, and upland fields.   It’s such a wonderful experience, that around 115,000 visitors annually take the 12-mile tour route.

About 16,000 acres of the refuge are made up of tidal salt marsh, comprised of cordgrass meadows, mud flats, tidal pools, rivers, creeks and tidal streams,  with the remaining acreage consisting of freshwater impoundments, brushy and timbered swamps, forests and upland fields of herbaceous plants.

The refuge is teeming with birds, but you’re likely to spot other wildlife, including deer, red fox, beaver and many species of turtles, nonvenomous snakes, frogs, and salamanders.   Any day or season can bring different wildlife sightings, so you’ll want to visit more than once!

Events: 
View the Spring 2024 Calendar of Events 

Getting Here:
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge is located in Smyrna, in Kent County Delaware.
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