3 Best Hiking Trails in Virginia Beach, VA

“First Landing State Park has many features like marshes, maritime forest, hiking, and canoe trails. The park has 20 miles of trails and 1.5 miles of sandy beachfrontage on the Chesapeake Bay. The park covers 2,888 acres of land. This park has over 20 miles of hiking trails winding through the natural environment, guided ecological kayak tours to explore the marshes and bays, and a visitor center. The park presents opportunities for discovering a natural ecosystem with lagoons, large cypress trees, and uncommon plants. The entrance offers access to the launch and beach of the Narrows ferry, bike path, and hiking trails. You can also stay overnight at the campsite, which has water and electric hook-up facilities and nearby access to restrooms and showers. First Landing State Park is one of the most popular places for fishing and crabbing in the Narrows.”

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“Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge is an elegant wetlands refuge with thousands of migratory waterfowl, including snow geese and tundra swans. Approximately 10,000 snow geese and an extensive range of ducks visit Back Bay NWR at the height of fall migration, usually in December. The trail's total length is 0.7 miles, with an elevation gain of 3 feet. The trail is an out-and-back type. This is an 8,000-acre wildlife refuge bordering to the east of the Atlantic Ocean and Back Bay. The barrier islands include massive dunes, freshwater marshes, wetlands, ocean beaches, coastal forests, and wintering wildfowl impoundments. Back Bay sits about 18 miles south of Virginia Beach. The Refuge Grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset. This refuge has over 9,250 acres on and around a narrow coastline typical of barrier islands along the Atlantic and the Gulf coasts. Fishing is allowed in designated areas.”

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“Lake Smith Lake Lawson Natural Area is a 42-acre preserve with over 12,000 feet of shoreline. The area is a popular fishing destination and the 42-acre parkland on the lake offers shady hiking trails, a playground, docks, and fishing spots. This 1.6-mile loop trail near Virginia Beach is generally considered an easy route, taking an average of 28 minutes to complete. This is a popular trail for birding, fishing, and hiking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of the day. The best times to visit this trail are August through November. While the natural area surrounding Lake Lawson and Lake Smith is being improved by the City of Virginia Beach, Norfolk still owns the water/reservoir and 25 feet around the water.”

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