National Parks

One of the best things about Virginia Beach is that you don't have to go far from the busy resort to find open spaces for hiking, biking, camping, and bird-watching.

Back Bay & False Cape 

Especially inviting for bird-watchers, canoeists, and kayakers is Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, in the southeastern corner of Virginia near the North Carolina line. Actually on the northern end of North Carolina's Outer Banks, its 9,200 acres of beaches, dunes, marshes, and backwaters are typical of the barrier island environment. It also is on the main Atlantic Flyway for migratory birds, and a wide range of wildlife lives here all year. No swimming, surfing, or sunbathing is allowed on the pristine beach, but you can collect shells, surf-cast for fish, and bird-watch. There are also nature trails and a canoe launching spot with marked trails through the marshes. Daily admission April through October is $5 per vehicle, $2 per pedestrian or biker; it's free November through March. The refuge is open daily from sunup to sundown all year. The visitor contact station (tel. 757/721-2412) is open Monday through Friday 8am to 4pm, weekends 9am to 4pm. It offers nature and environmental education programs by reservation only. Note that pets are permitted, on leashes, October through March only. From Rudee Inlet, go south on General Booth Boulevard and follow the signs 12 miles to Sandbridge and the refuge. For more information, contact the Refuge Manager, 4005 Sandpiper Rd., Virginia Beach, VA 23456 (tel. 757/721-2412; www.fws.gov/backbay).

Kayak outfitters will take you paddling in the refuge.

Swimming and sunbathing are permitted on the beach in False Cape State Park, 4 miles south of the Back Bay visitor contact station via a hiking and biking trail. You'll find 6 miles of beachfront (to the North Carolina line), an interpretive trail, and more than 3 miles of hiking trails. Primitive camping is by permit only, which you can get by calling tel. 800/933-7275. The park has no other visitor facilities, so bring everything you will need, including drinking water. It's open daily sunrise to sunset.

You can't park in the national wildlife refuge lot while visiting False Cape State Park, so leave your vehicle at Little Island City Park in Sandbridge. From there, you can either hike or bike the 6 miles to False Cape or take the refuge's Blue Goose Tram that runs daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekends, Friday through Sunday in April, May, September, and October. It departs at 9am and returns at 1pm and stops for about 2 hours at the False Cape. It's first-come, first-served, but call tel. 757/721-1412 to make sure it's running. Fares are $8 adults, $6 seniors and children under 12.

For more information, contact the park at 4001 Sandpiper Rd., Virginia Beach, VA 23456 (tel. 757/426-7128; www.dcr.state.va.us/parks/falscape.htm).

First Landing State Park 

The Virginia Company, which went on to settle Jamestown, made its first landing in the New World on April 16, 1607, in what is now this fine state park, whose 2,888 preserved acres run between the Lynnhaven River and the Chesapeake Bay to within 2 blocks of the oceanfront. Rabbits, squirrels, and raccoons are among the many species in this urban park, which boasts 19 miles of hiking trails. The main entrance is on Shore Drive (U.S. 60), where the visitor information center is open daily 9am to 5pm. The grounds and trails are open daily 8am to sunset. The 64th Street entry, off Atlantic Avenue, leads to a quiet-water beach on Broad Bay. Admission to the park during summer is $3 per vehicle on weekdays, $4 on weekends. Bikes are prohibited except on the gravel, 6-mile Cape Henry Trail, which runs between the 64th Street entrance and the trail center.

There are 20 two-bedroom cabins that can be rented here. Rates vary by season, and bookings are essential, so call the state park reservations center (tel. 800/933-7275). Open from March through November, a bayside campground in a wooded area beside a fine beach has 222 sites for tents and RVs for $22 to $28 a night plus tax. The park store (tel. 757/412-2302) rents bicycles and beach equipment and supplies.

For more information, contact the park at 2500 Shore Dr., Virginia Beach, VA 23451 (tel. 757/412-2320; www.dcr.state.va.us/parks/1stland.htm).

Next to the campground, the Chesapeake Bay Center (tel. 727/412-2316) has an exhibit about the Jamestown settlers' landing here in 1607. It also shows a short video and has an exhibit about the local ecology, both put together by the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center; it's interesting but not as good as the main museum. There's a visitor information desk here. A beachside amphitheater hosts concerts during the summer (call for a schedule). The center is open daily 9am to 5pm.

Segway Tours of Hampton Roads (tel. 757/412-9734; www.segwayofhamptonroads.us) will guide you through the park on its two-wheel machines for $60 per person. The tours depart at 10am, 1pm, and 3pm daily during summer. Call for reservations, which are essential.