Many of the ponds in the Laurel area were created in the late 1700s, damming up streams to produce power for Delaware's budding iron industry. As bog ore resources were exhausted, agriculture and lumbering replaced the area's iron works. During the following century, as the population flourished, sawmills and grist mills made use of pond water power. Trap Pond, one of a half dozen mill sites in the area, was washed out in a flood in a devastating 1933 flood. An opportune project for the Civilian Conservation Corps, the dam was rebuilt and the area converted into a state park.
   Today, Trap Pond State Park occupies over 3000 acres of upland pine and oak forest, plus the northernmost natural stand of bald cypress in the United States. Not only providing a habitat for a diverse bird population, the pond and swamp create the perfect site for a personal canoe tours. Trap Pond visitors find it one of the best places to come face to face with aquatic wildlife. The open waters offer a refuge for migration swans, geese and ducks, plus a few water-loving, furry residents, namely the beaver, otter and muskrat.
   While ambitious hikers may circle the entire park over the five mile Loblolly Trail, those looking for a leisurely walk, biking or equestrian trails, more than one path follows the pond's edge and the bald cypress swamp. Depending on the time of year, bird enthusiasts have an excellent opportunity to sight more than 150 bird species found in the park, varying from bald eagles to the tiny prothonotary warbler and Louisiana waterthrush.

     Area Map