Cape Henlopen Great Dune

Cape Henlopen State Park's Great Dune, also known as the Great Sand Hill, has been a popular spot for Sussex County residents seeking coastal views for many years. The dune's highest point, approximately 80 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, provides a panoramic perspective.Wind, waves, and currents carried massive amounts of sand to the mouth of the Delaware Bay over thousands of years. Grass and other plants grew, holding the sand and trapping more. The Great Dune was 46 feet tall and covered by a pine forest by colonial times. Humans subsequently altered the Great Dune. Many of the trees were felled in the early 1800s. The remainder was destroyed by fires. The sand, no longer held in place by plants, was released and blown by the wind. The Great Dune moved inland at such a steady rate that it was given the moniker "Galloping Dune".During the War of 1812, the dune provided a vantage point from which to observe the bombardment of Lewes by the British. In the 1930s, it served as a perch from which to watch boats search for the sunken DeBraak and its treasure. During World War II, the Army added sand to conceal a newly built bunker, raising the Great Dune to its current height. The Army planted grass, trees, and shrubs to stabilize the sand, and the dune's movement is less noticeable today.However, the dune has faced challenges throughout the centuries, and its continued presence in the Cape Henlopen landscape is due to a 330-year-old land grant and a 1982 court decision confirming the grant's continued validity. Today, visitors can climb the dune and enjoy the views from the observation tower resting atop a former military bunker.