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First Landing State Park, Virginia Beach - Things to Do at First Landing State Park

Things to Do at First Landing State Park

Complete Guide to First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach

About First Landing State Park

First Landing State Park spreads across 2,888 acres at Virginia Beach's northern tip, where the Chesapeake Bay collides with the Atlantic. English colonists first waded ashore here in 1607 before sailing on to Jamestown, and the trails still wind through a landscape those settlers would recognize: ancient cypress knees jutting from black-water swamps like prehistoric sculpture. Spanish moss drips from live oaks, and the air carries a briny perfume of salt marsh and sun-warmed pine. The park's magic lies in the mash-up of ecosystems you can cross in minutes. Maritime forest, freshwater cypress swamp, salt marsh, and a mile and a quarter of bayfront beach sit shoulder to shoulder, linked by 19 miles of trails. The Bald Cypress Trail steals the show for newcomers, its boardwalk gliding above water so still it mirrors every branch. On steamy July afternoons, cicadas crank out a wall of sound, and the soil underfoot smells like life and rot in equal measure. Sandwiched between a naval base and the high-rise oceanfront, First Landing feels surprisingly wild once you leave the parking lot. Locals duck in here to dodge the boardwalk circus, and on weekday mornings you can claim whole stretches of bay beach, hearing only water slap sand and the occasional container ship gliding toward Norfolk.

What to See & Do

Bald Cypress Trail

This 1.5-mile loop is the park's signature walk. A boardwalk threads through a blackwater cypress swamp where Spanish moss drapes the trees like tinsel. Tannin-stained water doubles every trunk in perfect reflection. Go early. Mist lingers. Light slants low.

Chesapeake Bay Beach

Over a mile of bayfront beach offers calm, warm water gentler than the Atlantic side. The sand is coarser, and storms pile shells in windrows. Container ships and gray naval hulls slide past, and on clear days the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel shows to the north.

Cape Henry Trail

A 6-mile paved path slices through the park's heart and keeps rolling to the oceanfront. Cyclists love it. Flat, shaded, swamp glimpses. Rent a bike. Skip the car.

Long Creek Trail

This quieter 5-mile trail hugs Broad Bay and Long Creek. Great blue herons stalk the shallows. Ospreys wheel overhead. Sand patches and roots keep you alert. This is the park's closest taste of wilderness.

Trail Center and Museum

Stop ten minutes at the small interpretive building near the Bald Cypress trailhead. Displays cover the 1607 landing, the 1930s CCC crews, and swamp ecology. Context matters.

Practical Information

Opening Hours

Open daily 8 a.m. to dusk, closing times shift with the seasons. Trail Center hours run 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., shrinking in winter.

Tickets & Pricing

Virginia State Parks charge a modest per-vehicle day-use fee, higher on weekends and in summer than midweek in shoulder season. Annual passes pay off fast. Cash and cards accepted. Virginia residents snag a discount.

Best Time to Visit

Spring, April to early June, is prime. Cypress leafs out chartreuse. Mosquitoes lag. Humidity behaves. Fall is runner-up, cool and crisp. Summer brings crowds and swamp bugs. Yet the bay beach warms up nicely. Winter looks stark, almost empty. But bare branches mute the swamp's drama.

Suggested Duration

Half a day covers Bald Cypress loop plus beach time. Full day opens Long Creek or Cape Henry by bike. Campers linger. The park works as a two- or three-night base for Virginia Beach minus oceanfront prices.

Getting There

The park entrance sits on Shore Drive (US-60) at Virginia Beach's north end, 25 minutes from the oceanfront, 30 from Norfolk International Airport. Driving is simplest. Public transit is thin. Ride-shares cost moderate each way. Nearby? Bike the Cape Henry Trail straight in. Parking is ample except summer weekends when bay beach lots fill by late morning.

Things to Do Nearby

Cape Henry Lighthouses
Two historic lighthouses, one from 1792 and one from 1881, stand side by side on Fort Story military base just east of the park. Climb the older one for sweeping bay-meets-ocean views. Pair it with First Landing. Both mark the same historic entry point.
Virginia Beach Boardwalk
The 3-mile concrete Atlantic boardwalk is First Landing's polar opposite: busy, neon, loud with restaurants and street performers. Go at sunset. Lights ignite.
Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
This engineering oddity runs 17 miles across the bay mouth, diving into tunnels twice so ships can pass overhead. Drive it for the experience. Midway island has a scenic overlook and fishing pier.
Military Aviation Museum
Drive 25 minutes south to Pungo and you will find one of the largest private collections of World War I and II aircraft in the world. Many of these birds still fly. It is a surprisingly substantial detour. Even casual vintage plane fans leave impressed.
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Head 45 minutes south. This stretch of barrier island marsh stays quieter and wilder than First Landing. Migratory birds arrive in fall and winter. Feral horses graze on the adjacent Currituck spit. Pair the two stops. You will linger longer in protected coastal landscape.

Tips & Advice

Bring more bug spray than you think you need from May through September. The swamp mosquitoes here are legendary. They are also DEET-tolerant. Reapply often.
Hit the Bald Cypress Trail within the first hour after opening. Light is best then. Wildlife is active before day-trippers arrive. You will see more and share less.
The bay beach has no lifeguards. Families with small kids should note this. Water stays calm but drops off faster than the gentler slope of the oceanfront beaches. Watch closely.
Camping reservations open 11 months in advance. Cabins book within hours for summer weekends. Want one? Set a calendar reminder. Do it now.
Weather along the bay can flip quickly in spring and fall. Onshore winds drop temperatures 10-15 degrees in an hour. Pack a layer even on warm-looking days. Trust me.
Check the park events schedule. Guided ranger walks, full-moon paddles, and weekend interpretive programs fill the calendar. They cluster in shoulder seasons. Show up.

Tours & Activities at First Landing State Park

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