Delaware Bayshore · DE-9

The quiet shore of Delaware Bay, one way: from colonial New Castle the route follows DE-9 south, crosses the C&D Canal on the Reedy Point Bridge and runs through Port Penn, Augustine Beach, Taylors Bridge and Flemings Landing, across marsh and farmland, to Leipsic and Little Creek, ending at the Air Mobility Command Museum next to Dover Air Force Base. It's 50 miles. DE-9 floods at high tide and in coastal storms, so check the tide and the forecast before you go. To get back north, ride US-13: DE-1 north of Dover is a toll road.

New Castle is where the route starts, and it's one of the oldest towns on the river: the Dutch settled it in 1651 as Fort Casimir, and William Penn first set foot in America here on October 27, 1682. The colonial Court House, the Green and the Sheriff's House are part of First State National Historical Park, and Battery Park sits on the river at the end of Delaware Street, with parking. From there DE-9 heads south past Delaware City and crosses the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on the Reedy Point Bridge, finished in 1968.

South of the canal the road is the Delaware Bayshore Byway, named a National Scenic Byway on January 19, 2021. It runs through Port Penn, past the boat ramp and big lot at Augustine Beach, through Taylors Bridge and across the Smyrna River at Flemings Landing, then crosses the Leipsic River on a high bridge into Leipsic and goes on through Little Creek. Long stretches sit just above the marsh, and DelDOT has closed parts of Route 9 for coastal flooding, so check the tide and the forecast first. The route ends at the Air Mobility Command Museum, free and open Wednesday to Sunday from 9 to 4. It's one way: head back north on US-13, because DE-1 has tolls at Dover and Biddles Corner and motorcycles pay like cars.