Pickering Beach
Dover, DE
Pickering Beach is a tiny community of about 30 houses behind Dover Air Force Base, reached by a long, winding road that keeps casual traffic away. Like several other spots on this stretch of bay, it's a designated horseshoe crab sanctuary, drawing more crab watchers each spring than swimmers in summer.
A genuine, low key horseshoe crab sanctuary worth a spring visit, but the handful of public parking spots means it was never built for a crowd.
How we score beachesExpect only a handful of public parking spots at the end of the road, so this works best as a quick stop rather than a planned beach day with a group.
A small number of public parking spots sit at the end of Pickering Beach Road; it fills quickly and there's no overflow.
The beach is flat and reached by a short, informal walk from the parking area.
Bay water warms through the summer months, inside the June through November hurricane season, with horseshoe crab spawning peaking in May and June.
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