Freshwater and forest
Prime Hook's Boardwalk and Dike trails reach freshwater marsh and observation areas; Pine Grove and Blue Goose add woods, ponds, and longer walking.
Second Star Guide
Milford: river, marsh, and Delaware Bay
Walk from Front Street to the Mispillion, trace Milford's shipbuilding past, and use the city as the inland start for Prime Hook's wetlands and the Delaware Bay shore.
Milford's Mispillion shipyards
Milford launched schooners where the Riverwalk now crosses downtown.
Shipbuilding flourished on the Mispillion by the 1770s, and six yards once operated downtown. The four-masted Albert F. Paul was launched here in 1917; the surviving Vinyard Shipyard buildings on Columbia Street mark the industry that shaped South Milford.
Milford from downtown to the bay
Shipyard streets, a working downtown, and protected wetlands
Shipyard reach
Walk the Mispillion toward Columbia Street, where the restored Vinyard office and warehouse stand among former shipyard workers' homes.
Front and Walnut
Downtown blocks hold the Milford Museum, galleries, cafés, the community theater, and several Riverwalk access points.
Prime Hook
Short refuge trails cross freshwater marsh, ponds, forested wetlands, and open habitat east of Milford.
Delaware Bay
Slaughter Beach is the closest shoreline; Lewes adds maritime history, and Rehoboth adds a boardwalk and a larger restaurant district.
Downtown detail
Front Street follows the river that carried Milford's ships.
The Riverwalk threads between parks, bridges, shops, and the historic blocks around Front and Walnut streets. The route follows Milford's original town plan beside mills and shipyards, far from the beach highway.
What changes east of Milford
Bay shoreline
Slaughter Beach faces Delaware Bay and protects horseshoe-crab habitat. It has open shoreline rather than a boardwalk, shops, or a resort district.
Current access
Refuge trail, beach, and hunting closures change by season. Read current FWS notices before choosing a trail or continuing to the bay shore.
