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Print Friendly MapThe Little Jersey Trail loops through Lums Pond State Park on a wide, packed earth surface that accommodates hikers, cyclists and equestrians. The trail is the longer of two loops; the Swamp Forest Trail runs closer to Lums Pond at the center of the park, but that trail does not allow equestrian use.
Users of the Little Jersey Trail will traverse hardwood forests and the edges of fields and experience a wide variety of the park's natural charms.
Parking for the Little Jersey Trail is available with the state park entrance fee at either Lums Pond State Park's main office or nature center. Both can be reached from Howell School Road, which is just east of US 301 between Glasgow and Middletown.
On August 14, 2020 we took a spin through the Lums Pond trails. We managed to hit all 3 major trails and it was a fun morning of riding. Lums pond trails offer an easy to moderate ride with relatively smooth trail surface and not much technically challenging riding. It currently has a significant number of trees down from recent storms but the crews are working hard to clear the trail blockages. Very enjoyable riding.
A nice trail that takes you though woods, open fields, and a stretch of marshy area with very vocal frogs! A few views of Lums Pond- probably better views on inside trail. Definitely wet & muddy in areas if you go after rain/snowmelt. Warning- I went a week after a nor’easter blew through and there were A LOT of downed trees covering the path. Not a huge deal for a runner to find a path around but the cyclist I met up with wasn’t pleased with the time he had to carry his bike. But, once again, this was after severe weather. Overall, a pretty, easy, & well marked trail!
Perfect trail for moderate intensity bicycle workout. Constantly changing scenery and mostly in the shade. Heads up for a few sandy areas. At ~ 7 miles it is a great daily ride that takes 45-50 minutes.
It's a solid trail that you won't be breaking any personal records on. It can get a bit muddy in some areas so be aware of the weather before you head out. The trail literally follows the pond all the way around it. However, be aware of where the bathrooms are, as you'll only get a break at mile 4 or 5 where bathrooms are visible. The trail is also at times challenging with plenty of roots from trees but in most areas they are marked. I usually run this trail but have seen a few mountain bikers take on the trail. It's not usually crowded but the park itself can get crowded on the weekend.
Drove down to Lums Pond to do both the little Jersey trail and the Swamp Forest trails but because I was on my old trusted 1994 Klein with no front shock and after just a short distant my 70 plus body told me to turn around and I only did the Little Jersey trail. The State of Delaware has done a great job on this trail, very good signage and good drainage. This is not a Rials to Trail and it dose have its ups and down but nothing to tough. I did this three days after a big down pour and there was not much standing water. The trail makes a complete loop around the park so you could use any trail head and make it all the way around the park. If you do not like Horses this trail might not be for you as I did run into a group of three and I did dodge a few horse puckeys but we all need to share these trails.
I ran this trail during the early summer of 2011. I chose trails over roads because they are less crowded and more challenging (and therefore more interesting). I prefer a hillier venue, but this trail was fine and I do not understand why the other reviewer felt compelled to complain. Uncrowded, easy to follow, easy to get to - what more could you ask for?
I did this trail 8/2/11, I started at the trail head at Buck Jersey rd going left out of the parking lot. The first two miles are not well maintained, lots of spots that are really soft and muddy and a couple of places it was not cut back and there was a lot of brush. I was a bit surprised that the state park let this section of the trail be in such bad shape. It did get better and the last five and a half miles was very good. Lots of shade, flat but a bite ruff most of the way. This trail must be a very popular by horses as there droppings are all over the place. This trail is not for a road bike or a hybrid, I would suggest that you use a Mt Bike. Also I am not sure that it is family friendly. The up side of this trip is it was less then 30 miles round trip for me to drive. I did a e-mail to the park manager, I do not think it would take that much to fix this two mile section.
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