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A dirt road winding through a hardwood forest carpeted in fallen leaves, birches along its edge.

The Overland Directory

Recovery equipment in Delaware

Winches, traction boards, ropes, shackles and the mounting points that make them safe to use.

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Delaware by the numbers

of Delaware is federal land 1
2.4%
29,934 of 1,265,920 acres. No Bureau of Land Management ground and no national forest
federal campgrounds a vehicle can reach 2
0
Our build of the federal recreation database finds none in the whole state
Ebright Road, the state high point 3
448 ft
USGS, footnoted to the National Geodetic Survey. The state survey measures the monument itself at 447.85 ft and the ground just west of the road at around 450
drive-on surf fishing beaches 14
12
Four at Cape Henlopen, four at Delaware Seashore, three at Fenwick Island, plus Beach Plum Island north of Lewes
a non-resident year on the sand 7
$180
A Delaware resident pays $90. Two year permits are $360 and $180; off-peak permits $140 and $70
tools every beach vehicle must carry 6
5
Shovel, jack, a board to stand the jack on, tow rope or chain, and a low pressure tyre gauge
acres in the three state forests 19
20,000+
Redden more than 14,000, Blackbird over 6,000, Taber 1,309. Off-road vehicles are barred from all three
mean annual precipitation 39
45 in
Delaware Climate Office. Mean annual temperature runs from 54.0°F in northern New Castle County to 58.1°F on the Atlantic coast

Recovery, which the state mandates

Delaware makes recovery gear a legal condition of access. The tow rope or chain, and the jack and its support, are not optional extras on a drive-on beach; they are the permit. Buy them to work rather than to pass an inspection, because if you bury a vehicle on soft sand you are the one digging.

A shovel that moves sand properly, a board wide enough to stop a jack sinking, and a rope rated well above your loaded weight decide whether a bogging costs ten minutes or the rest of the day. The federal seashore south of Fenwick publishes minimum specifications if you want a benchmark.

The full guide to overlanding Delaware

What a recovery equipment supplier does

Recovery gear is safety equipment. It is rated, it wears out, and it is only as strong as what it attaches to. A good supplier asks what the vehicle weighs before recommending a winch or a rope, and will not sell you a shackle without asking where you plan to put it.

What they sell and install

  1. 01Winches, synthetic line and fairleads
  2. 02Rated recovery points, front and rear
  3. 03Kinetic ropes, straps and soft shackles
  4. 04Traction boards and jacks
  5. 05Compressors and tire repair kits

How to choose recovery gear

Buy for the loaded weight of the vehicle, and buy it once.

  1. 01Buy rated gear from known makers, with the working load marked on it.
  2. 02Size a winch to the loaded vehicle. A common rule of thumb is about one and a half times the gross weight, and your supplier can confirm it for your setup.
  3. 03Make sure the recovery points are rated and mounted to the frame. Factory tie-down loops are for shipping, not recovery.
  4. 04Get trained. A short recovery course is worth more than another piece of gear.

What to have ready before you ask for a quote

Weight and mounting decide everything.

  1. 01Vehicle and loaded weight
  2. 02Factory or aftermarket bumper, and whether it takes a winch
  3. 03Battery setup
  4. 04Whether you travel alone or in a group
  5. 05The terrain you get stuck in: sand, mud, snow, rock

Questions people ask

What is the minimum recovery kit?

Rated recovery points front and rear, a kinetic rope or strap with soft shackles, traction boards, a shovel, a tire repair kit and a compressor. Add a winch if you travel alone.

Synthetic rope or steel cable?

Synthetic is lighter, easier to handle and stores less energy if it breaks, which is why most travelers choose it. It needs protection from abrasion, heat and sunlight. Steel tolerates abuse but is heavy, and dangerous when it fails.

Where can I learn to use it?

Look for a recovery course from a trainer, or a club that runs training days. Practicing once in a parking lot beats reading about it ten times.

How high is Delaware?

From Rehoboth Beach at 1 feet to Ebright Road, at the Pennsylvania line at 448. Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.

Towns

  1. Wilmington The Brandywine Valley byway, and thirteen Underground Railroad sites on the Tubman route 91 ft
  2. Harrington Taber State Forest country, and the inland pond parks 59 ft
  3. Georgetown The county seat below Redden State Forest 53 ft
  4. Smyrna The turn for Bombay Hook and for Blackbird State Forest 32 ft
  5. Dover The capital, and the John Dickinson Plantation out on the bayshore road 28 ft
  6. Laurel Nanticoke byway country and the southern end of the Woodland Ferry run 27 ft
  7. Millsboro Inland services on the Indian River, west of the inlet 24 ft
  8. Seaford The Nanticoke River crossing and the northern ferry approach 23 ft
  9. Milford Mid-state services between the bayshore refuges and the coast 13 ft
  10. Lewes The ferry landing, Cape Henlopen and the Beach Plum Island crossing 13 ft
  11. Milton The approach to Prime Hook and the bayshore marshes 11 ft
  12. New Castle The northern end of the Delaware Bayshore Byway 10 ft
  13. Bethany Beach The break in the state park between Delaware Seashore and Fenwick Island 6 ft
  14. Fenwick Island The southernmost drive-on beaches and the Maryland line 5 ft
  15. Dewey Beach The northern end of the Delaware Seashore barrier strip 5 ft
  16. Rehoboth Beach Full services between Gordons Pond and the Delaware Seashore beaches 1 ft

Passes, high roads and summits

  1. Ebright Road, at the Pennsylvania line The state high point, in New Castle County. USGS publishes 448 feet, footnoted to the National Geodetic Survey; the Delaware Geological Survey measures the benchmark at 447.85 and the ground just west of the road at around 450 448 ft
  2. Iron Hill Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in New Castle County 335 ft
  3. Chestnut Hill Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in the piedmont of New Castle County 297 ft

Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates), retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.

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Sources for this page

39
  1. Congressional Research Service. Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data (R42346), Tables 1 and 2, data as of September 30, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  2. Recreation.gov. Recreation Information Database (RIDB) full export, the site’s own build of it. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  3. U.S. Geological Survey. Elevations and Distances in the United States, online edition. Delaware: 448 feet on Ebright Road at the Delaware-Pennsylvania state line, New Castle County; lowest point the Atlantic Ocean at sea level. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  4. U.S. Geological Survey. Geographic Names Information System and 3D Elevation Program point query. Elevation of the 3DEP surface at the GNIS coordinates of the named place, rounded to the nearest foot. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  5. Delaware Geological Survey, University of Delaware. Highest point in Delaware: the Ebright Azimuth benchmark at 447.85 feet, Centreville at 445.58, and LiDAR contours around 450 just west of Ebright Road. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  6. Delaware State Parks, DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation. Surf Fishing: the vehicle permit rules, the required safety equipment, the speed limit, the definition of actively engaged in surf fishing, and the fines. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  7. Delaware State Parks, DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation. Passes, Permits and Fees: annual, two year and off-peak surf fishing permit rates, daily entry fees and the annual pass. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  8. Delaware State Parks, DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation. RV Camping: the 14 day stay limit, one vehicle per site, the three rate seasons, the change freeze, firewood and fire rules. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  9. Delaware State Parks, DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation. Tent and Yurt Camping: the five campgrounds and the general camping policies. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  10. Delaware State Parks, DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation. Delaware Seashore State Park: six and a half miles of ocean and 20 miles of bay shoreline, ten access locations, the two campgrounds and the 1939 jetties. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  11. Delaware State Parks, DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation. Fenwick Island State Park: three miles of ocean beach and the three dune crossings that take surf fishing vehicles. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  12. Delaware State Parks, DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation. Cape Henlopen State Park: the 5,000 acre figure, The Point and Beach Plum Nature Preserve. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  13. Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Division of Parks and Recreation: more than 20,000 acres in 17 state parks and easements over more than 4,000 acres. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  14. Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. DNREC Drops Surf Fishing Reservations for 7 of 12 Drive-on Beaches, July 7, 2025: the twelve beaches named, and which five still need a reservation. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  15. Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. The Point at Cape Henlopen Oceanside Beach Reopens Sept. 1 to Anglers and Beachgoers, August 25, 2026: the March closure since 1993 and the species it protects. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  16. DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife. Conservation Access Pass: the per-vehicle requirement for state wildlife areas, its rates and its exemptions. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  17. DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife. Wildlife Area Maps and Regulations: approximately 68,000 acres at 19 public wildlife areas. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  18. DNREC Division of Air Quality. Open Burning: the 1 May to 30 September ozone season prohibition, its camping and cooking exemptions, and the Air Quality Action day rule. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  19. Delaware Forest Service, Delaware Department of Agriculture. Delaware State Forests: three forests over 20,000 acres, the tract and trail figures for Redden, Blackbird and Taber, and the prohibition on off-road vehicles. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  20. Delaware Forest Service, Delaware Department of Agriculture. Forest Campsites: tent-only camping, the site counts, the fee, the three night maximum and the two vehicle limit. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  21. Delaware Code Online, Delaware General Assembly. Title 21, Chapter 68, Registration and Control of Off-Highway Vehicles: §§ 6801, 6803, 6807, 6810, 6814, 6819 and 6821. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  22. Delaware Code Online, Delaware General Assembly. Title 21, § 101(50): the statutory definition of an off-highway vehicle. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  23. Delaware Code Online, Delaware General Assembly. Title 20, Chapter 31, Subchapter III, § 3116: the Level 1 Driving Warning, Level 2 Driving Restriction and Level 3 Driving Ban. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  24. Delaware Emergency Management Agency. State of Emergency Driving Restrictions: the Level 2 waiver system and its 21 day lead time. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  25. Delaware Department of Transportation. Delaware Byways: the six designated byways and the 2000 legislation that created the programme. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  26. Delaware Department of Transportation. Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway: 12.25 miles, Rodney Square to the Pennsylvania line. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  27. Delaware Department of Transportation. Red Clay Scenic Byway: approximately 27 miles in northern New Castle County. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  28. Delaware Department of Transportation. Delaware Bayshore Byway: 100 miles or more from New Castle to the resorts outside Lewes. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  29. Delaware Department of Transportation. Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway: approximately 95 miles including the loops. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  30. Delaware Department of Transportation. Historic Lewes Byway, Gateway to the Bayshore: 12.35 miles on six named roads. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  31. Delaware Department of Transportation. Nanticoke Heritage Byway: about 35 miles in western Sussex County, ending at Trap Pond State Park. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  32. Delaware Department of Transportation. The Woodland Ferry: DelDOT owned and operated, free, six cars, and its weekday hours. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  33. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Visit Us: the 12 mile wildlife drive, 16,251 acres, the three observation towers and the daily hours. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  34. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge: established 1937, a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance and a Globally Important Bird Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  35. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge: more than 10,000 acres, roughly 80 percent wetland, and 7.5 miles of hiking trails. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  36. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Visit Us: the four state roads crossing the refuge, the daily hours and the absence of an entrance fee. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  37. National Park Service. Over-Sand Vehicle Use, Assateague Island National Seashore: permit prices, the four-wheel drive and size requirements, the equipment minimums, the Maryland vehicle cap and the plover closure. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  38. National Park Service. First State National Historical Park, Basic Information: the six sites and their locations. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  39. Delaware Climate Office, University of Delaware. Delaware’s Climate: land area, mean annual temperature range, mean annual precipitation and the nor’easter and tropical storm pattern. Retrieved September 25, 2026.

Reviewed September 25, 2026. Conditions, closures and rules change; check with the managing agency before you travel.

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