Bryan's Field Trail (White Clay Creek State Park) Hiking Guide
Bryan's Field is a short loop at the Possum Hill end of White Clay Creek State Park that crosses an open meadow, then runs through mature maple, oak and poplar woods. A side cutoff leads to the Post Marked West monument, where the Mason-Dixon survey crew began the line they ran more than 200 miles due west. Possum Hill is about 13 miles from downtown Wilmington, under half an hour by car.
Permit: Delaware State Parks entrance fee, charged per vehicle March 1 to November 30: $5 a day with Delaware plates, $10 a day with out-of-state plates. Free on foot or bike. Annual passes are $50 (DE) or $100 (out of state).
Length and Footing
Delaware State Parks gives the loop as 2.2 miles of packed earth, moderate in difficulty, while Hiking Project shows a 2.0-mile loop with about 201 feet of climbing and grades up to 10 percent. Its contributor calls the trail smooth, well-groomed singletrack, mainly packed dirt with a few roots and rocks. Bikes share this trail, so listen for riders on the descents.
Post Marked West
Take the Post Mark Trail cutoff to find the monument the park calls Post Marked West. It marks where the survey team started the Mason-Dixon Line, which from here runs more than 200 miles due west. On the outer loop you walk through a reforestation area where young trees are filling in old fields, a good place to see early forest succession in action.
Parking and Connections
Start from the Possum Hill Parking Area at 195 Smith Mill Road in Newark, which also has accessible fishing docks on Smith Mill Pond. Connector trails lead to Thompson Station Road, Nine Foot Road and the county's Middle Run Natural Area at Paper Mill Road. Hiking Project notes a spur that ducks under the road through a large drainage pipe toward Middle Run, and a connector northwest that adds the Whitely Farms Trail for a longer outing.
Fees, Dogs and Gun Season
From March through November a car entering the park pays $5 if it carries Delaware registration and $10 if it doesn't; walk or pedal in and it's free, and the fee disappears for the winter months. Leash dogs at 6 feet or less. This loop was among the trails White Clay Creek marked closed for shotgun season on its 2025-26 closure map, so check the park's current map before a fall or winter visit. Expect this season's shotgun weeks to fall on November 13-21, December 12-19 and January 16-23, after a youth hunt on Saturday, November 7. Sundays stay hunt-free in every Delaware state park.
Hiking tips for Bryan's Field Trail (White Clay Creek State Park)
- Take the Post Mark Trail cutoff; the monument is the reason to come.
- Use the Possum Hill lot at 195 Smith Mill Road.
- Add the Whitely Farms Trail via the northwest connector for a longer walk.
- Check the park's hunting closure map before visiting from mid-November to late January.
- Watch for mountain bikes on this shared trail.
Nearby trails to explore
- Tri-State Marker Trail (White Clay Creek State Park)
- Hidden Pond Trail (Brandywine Creek State Park)
- Swamp Forest Trail (Lums Pond State Park)
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Bryan's Field is short enough for a weeknight walk and has a piece of survey history at its center. Post a loop on TrailMates, meet at Possum Hill, and use the event's group chat to decide whether to tack on Whitely Farms. Download TrailMates on the App Store or Google Play.