Delaware Bicycle Route 1 - Route Description - Sussex County

Sussex County

Bike Route 1 begins at the Maryland border in the beach town of Fenwick Island. The route heads north on Delaware Route 1, the Coastal Highway. It passes through the town and then proceeds north, passing through Fenwick Island State Park, one of three Delaware state parks located on the Atlantic Ocean. The bike route then passes through the residential South Bethany and the more commercial Bethany Beach. These resorts, along with Fenwick Island, make up "The Quiet Resorts" of Delaware.

From Bethany Beach, the bike route continues north on Delaware Route 1, passing through the Sussex Shores area before entering Delaware Seashore State Park, a state park located on an isthmus with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Rehoboth Bay and the Indian River Bay to the west. The state park stretches between Sussex Shores to the south and Dewey Beach to the north. Within the park, the bike route crosses the Indian River Inlet on the Indian River Inlet Bridge.

Bike Route 1 then proceeds into Dewey Beach, a beach that is well known as a party town. The route continues north on Delaware Route 1, skirting the popular beach resort of Rehoboth Beach to the west. The route passes by several outlet malls and other commercial sprawl located on DE 1 outside of Rehoboth Beach.

In Midway, the bike route separates from Delaware Route 1 by heading south on Old Landing Road and west on Warrington Road. At the intersection of Delaware Route 24, the bike route continues straight on Plantation Road (Delaware Route 1D), passing through housing developments that have sprouted throughout the coastal areas of Delaware. The bike route follows Plantation Road to the Five Points intersection where it turns south on Delaware Route 23. The bike route follows DE 23 to the intersection with Dairy Farm Road, where it turns to the northwest to intersect with U.S. Route 9.

Bike Route 1 continues north of US 9 on Sweetbriar Road to Cave Neck Road, where it veers to the northwest on Cave Neck Road. The bike route enters a more rural, agricultural setting as it heads toward the historical shipbuilding town of Milton. Once the bike route reaches Milton, it heads north through the town on Union Street (Delaware Route 5). North of Milton, the route proceeds north on Cedar Creek Road.

The bike route follows Cedar Creek Road through the farmland of northeastern Sussex County, eventually merging with Delaware Route 30. The bike route follows DE 30 to Johnson Road, which it turns west on, passing through the community of Lincoln City. The route follows Fitzgeralds Road west upon crossing U.S. Route 113. It then winds to the northwest on Rust Road and Union Church Road before reaching Abbots Pond Road. It follows Abbots Pond Road to the west, passing by the Abbots Pond Nature Preserve.