"There has been no change in the status of the beach walkways; they remain closed indefinitely due to the damage from the September nor'easter."
That line from Mayor Edie Dondero's November 2026 Mayor's Monthly is the latest word on a question that has changed the morning walk across town since late September. South Bethany normally has a walkway at the end of nearly every oceanside street. Right now the whole beach is reached from two places, and one of them is technically outside town, at the Fenwick Island State Park border.
That changes more than the route. It changes where a winter beach habit makes the most sense this year. The southern access comes with daily park hours, no vehicle fee after November 30, and a set dog entrance. For as long as the town keeps the closure open-ended, that end of town works as the main way onto the beach.
What the Storm Took From the Crossovers
The town's Fall/Winter 2026 Breeze described the September 27 nor'easter plainly. At least half of South Bethany's dunes were eroded and every sand ramp onto the beach washed away. With the ramps gone, the town closed all walkways and dune crossovers until repairs can be made.
The town's Beach Advisories page, updated October 27, puts it directly: "Please do not enter or attempt to use the closed walkways." Walking on the beach itself is still allowed. The Breeze asks people to stay off the dunes and keep away from them, both for safety and to avoid adding to the erosion.
So the beach is open. The problem is getting down to it.
The Two Routes Still Open
The town names two access points. The Breeze places one at "the two walkways in Sandpiper Village" and the other at "the south end of Ocean Drive at our border with Fenwick Island State Park." The November Mayor's Monthly refers to the first as "the two walkways on Seaside Drive." The October 27 advisory describes the second as "entering at the state beach."
| Sandpiper Village | South end of Ocean Drive | |
|---|---|---|
| How the town describes it | Two walkways on Seaside Drive | Entering at the state beach by Fenwick Island State Park |
| Who runs the land | Sandpiper Village walkways | Delaware State Parks |
| Posted hours | None in town guidance | 8 a.m. to sunset, daily |
| Dogs | Town beach rules apply | State park pet rules apply, with a set dog crossing |
The town is directing residents to these two spots while every other path stays closed. The Sandpiper Village walkways are the town's suggested route for anyone living north of the state park end, and the town's advisory is the guidance to follow there.
Why the South End Suits a Winter Routine
The south end has more structure around it once the season winds down.
Fenwick Island State Park is open every day from 8 a.m. to sunset. Its park office keeps weekday hours from November 1 through March 31. Walking or biking in costs nothing. Delaware State Parks charges daily vehicle entry from March 1 through November 30, at $10 for Delaware-registered vehicles and $20 for out-of-state vehicles at the ocean parks. Drivers still pay through the end of November. Starting December 1, the fee schedule shows the lot free through the end of February.
Dog owners get the clearest benefit, because the town and the park follow different calendars. Both allow dogs on the beach now:
- South Bethany beach: the town's 2026 Beach Rules bar pets May 15 through October 15, so dogs have been allowed again since October 16. They are welcome through May 14, and the town's animals page says they must be leashed at all times.
- Fenwick Island State Park: pets are barred from lifeguarded beaches May 1 through September 30, so the off-season runs October 1 through April 30. Leashes can be no longer than six feet.
- The state park dog entrance: under the Pets in the Parks rules, dogs use the pedestrian dune crossing at the north end of the parking lot and are not allowed on the bathhouse boardwalks.
That north-end crossing is the closest marked dog entrance to South Bethany's southern border. So a walk that starts at the state beach and heads north along the sand into town follows both sets of rules until spring. The six-foot leash limit belongs to the state park, and the town's rule is simply that dogs stay leashed. A short leash covers both.
The park also lists three dune crossings for surf-fishing vehicles. Those drive-on ramps follow their own schedule, set by wind and tide. According to the Old Inlet Bait & Tackle fishing report, the 4x4 ramps at Fenwick and Delaware Seashore reopened October 2 after the September storm and closed again on October 22 during high winds and tides. Those closures apply to the drive-on ramps, not to the pedestrian route people walk.
Crossing Coastal Highway to Reach Either Route
With only two access areas open, a bayside resident's walk now ends at one of two points instead of at the nearest street end, and for many that means crossing Route 1. The town planned a pilot this fall with orange "Grab A Flag" pedestrian flags at two Coastal Highway crossings, Anchorage and Bay Shore, scheduled for October 2026. The Breeze says the program could expand over the winter to all 10 crossings that have no traffic light. Those unsignalized crossings are where many of this winter's rerouted walks meet the highway.
Where the Repair Stands
The town calls the walkway closure indefinite, and the state and federal picture explains why. On September 28, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said its Philadelphia District was assessing storm impacts in Delaware, including Bethany Beach and South Bethany, and would weigh qualifying damage under its available authorities.
On October 9, WHYY reported that DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson put South Bethany in the same group as Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach: heavily depleted beaches that will take longer to fix and will need federal help. The same WHYY report said Sen. Chris Coons's office was working to secure $30 million for replenishment. The figure was developed with DNREC and Gov. Matt Meyer's office and is meant to cover the state's full beach nourishment needs for fiscal year 2027. Earlier in the year, Delaware's congressional delegation secured $10 million for replenishment from Cape Henlopen to Fenwick Island.
Patterson told WHYY that the pieces "are going to come together and we're going to have to figure out what the right and affordable path forward is in the next couple of years in the next ocean beach project." Steve Rochette, a spokesperson for the Corps' Philadelphia District, told WHYY that the dunes did what they were built to do and described the projects as "sacrificial in nature."
Funding is being discussed in fiscal years, while the town has made its closure open-ended. For planning a winter of beach walks, the two routes above are the ones to count on, and the town's Beach Advisories page is where any reopening will be posted first.
The Off-Season Calendar Away From the Beach
The town's own schedule keeps running through the closure, and several dates fall in the weeks after this post goes up:
- November 19, 9 to 10:30 a.m.: a virtual-only workshop led by the Rossi Group on the draft vision statement for South Bethany's new Comprehensive Plan. Registration is through the town website. The Planning Commission's work so far draws on more than 500 community survey responses.
- November 26 and 27: Town Hall offices close for Thanksgiving.
- December 5, evening: the 5th Annual Holiday Tree Lighting at Town Hall Fitness Park, with live music, snacks, and donations collected for the food pantry.
- Monthly: the Community Relations Committee's Coffee and Conversation at Town Hall, which hosted Councilwoman Christine Keefe on November 6.
Two smaller summer additions also suit a closer-to-home walk on days when the beach routes feel too far. One is the new children's play area at Town Hall. The other is the Little Free Library at the canal end of Bayshore Drive.
If you own in South Bethany but spend the winter somewhere else, this closure is the kind of local change that is hard to keep up with from a distance. That includes which access points are open, what the dog rules are at each, and when the crossovers come back. Karla Morgan is glad to share what she's seeing on the ground as repairs move forward. Let's Connect.
