Delaware | Sussex County / Assawoman Wildlife Area and Little Assawoman Bay
Miller Creek
Strawberry Landing to Sassafras Landing
Check current paddling conditions for this Miller Creek route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
A moderate, tide-dependent Miller Creek day route linking the public Strawberry and Sassafras Landings in Assawoman Wildlife Area, with direct Little Assawoman Bay water-level context and no informal camping posture.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Strawberry Landing public canoe/boat accessThe official state access features and DNREC plan establish public facility anchors, not a guarantee of a launch-ready wetted edge, open gate, available parking, or a clear channel on the travel date. Verify both landings immediately before travel.
Take-out
Sassafras Landing public canoe/boat accessMiller Creek is a shallow tidal marsh route. The regional paddling guide warns that up-creek travel can be difficult on an outgoing tide; retain a conservative turnaround and do not rely on a single tide or gage value.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- The official state access features and DNREC plan establish public facility anchors, not a guarantee of a launch-ready wetted edge, open gate, available parking, or a clear channel on the travel date. Verify both landings immediately before travel.
- Miller Creek is a shallow tidal marsh route. The regional paddling guide warns that up-creek travel can be difficult on an outgoing tide; retain a conservative turnaround and do not rely on a single tide or gage value.
- The stored coordinates are official facility anchors rather than surveyed landing-edge points. Do not substitute nearby private canals, marsh banks, residential shoreline, roads, or the broad open bay as access or bailout.
- Strawberry and Sassafras are wildlife-area boating facilities with seasonal habitat and hunting controls. Current posted notices and staff direction override this planning card.
Watch for
- USGS 01484701 Little Assawoman Bay water-surface elevation and trend, NOAA local tide predictions, wind against tide, weather, recent rain, visibility, water temperature, and daylight
- Strawberry and Sassafras landing condition, sandy or shallow carry, parking, wildlife-area hours, posted closures, habitat/hunting notices, and shuttle keys
- shallow mud, exposed shoals, narrow marsh turns, submerged vegetation, strainers, wind waves, limited lawful bailout, private banks, and the hard Little Assawoman Bay/open-water boundary
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Little Assawoman Bay at Fenwick Island, DE |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| Discharge | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | Not calibrated yet |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | DNREC Assawoman Wildlife Area access guidance and Miller Creek tide/current planning guidance |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Named moving-water corridorMiller Creek between Strawberry Landing and Sassafras Landing in the Assawoman Wildlife Area
DNREC’s Assawoman Canal Trail Concept Plan explicitly identifies Strawberry and Sassafras Landings as water access on Miller Creek. This record preserves the bounded Miller Creek reach and does not claim Dirickson Creek, the Assawoman Canal, the open bay, or an interstate route.
- Authoritative public endpoint evidencePublic Strawberry Landing and Sassafras Landing canoe/boat access facilities
The current official Delaware access layer lists Strawberry and Sassafras Landing as public canoe-launch/boat-access facilities, and the current Assawoman Wildlife Area map identifies the three named boating access areas and their posted access posture. Coordinates are official facility anchors; verify the wetted edge and carry in the field.
- Direct tidal-flow evidenceUSGS 01484701 Little Assawoman Bay at Fenwick Island, DE
USGS identifies this as a direct tidal water-level station with current-year elevation data and no discharge determination. Use water-level trend with NOAA tide, wind, local depth, and visual scouting; no numeric discharge or universal safe-paddling cutoff is transferred.
- Route-specific tide and safety guidanceMiller Creek paddling guidance and DNREC Assawoman Wildlife Area controls
The regional route guidance identifies Strawberry/Sassafras as Miller Creek access, warns that an up-creek paddle is difficult on an outgoing tide, and calls out wind and open-water boat traffic. DNREC supplies current wildlife-area, parking, access, and no-camping controls.
- Camping postureNearby basecamp only; no wildlife-area or launch-property camping
DNREC wildlife-area guidance prohibits camping and open fires. The public landing facilities do not grant overnight mooring or shoreline camping rights.
- Approved route imageryOfficial Southern Delaware tourism Assawoman Wildlife Area water-scene image
The official tourism listing supplies same-preserve waterway context for the route gallery; it does not certify current access, tide, channel condition, or endpoint landing.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- Delaware official boating and fishing access layer
- DNREC Assawoman Wildlife Area map
- DNREC Assawoman Canal Trail Concept Plan
- Paddle Coastal Delaware Little Assawoman Bay and Canal Zone
- USGS 01484701 Little Assawoman Bay at Fenwick Island
- NOAA Little Assawoman Bay tide predictions
- Southern Delaware tourism Assawoman Wildlife Area image source
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
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Quick answers
Miller Creek paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Miller Creek?
Paddle Today watches Little Assawoman Bay at Fenwick Island, DE and uses Not calibrated yet as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Miller Creek route start and end?
This route starts at Strawberry Landing public canoe/boat access and ends at Sassafras Landing public canoe/boat access, about Approximately 1.5 tidal creek miles between Strawberry and Sassafras Landings; actual line varies with channel choice, tide, water level, and marsh conditions on the water.
Is this Miller Creek route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
Flag a change
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.