Near where the Jamestown settlers first landed in America is now an amazing state park.
Virginia Beach is known for its beach and fun times, but many visitors miss a complete gem of a park. First Landing State Park is a wonderful state park with a fantastic campground, a beach and hiking trails.
First Landing is near where the Jamestown settlers first landed, which is now on a military base on Cape Henry. They quickly moved on down the James River to the site of Jamestown. I don’t blame them for now staying in this area. It is very swampy. Although, Jamestown wasn’t much better. I wasn’t able to visit, but the memorial and the lighthouses at Cape Henry are now open for visiting.
The park was the first planned state park in Virginia, protecting coastal forest, semitropical vegetation and really awesome swamps. I visited First Landing for the swamps and have visited twice now. Those swamps are magical. Most of the trails were built by the Civilian Conservation Corp during the Great Depression. The CCC’s work across the United States was great for public lands, opening them up for visitors. Much of their work still survives today in parks across the nation.
On my first visit, I hiked the Bald Cypress Trail, which has boardwalks over the swamps so you can get a good look at them. On the second visit I hiked the Osmanthus Trail, which does follow a little bit of the Bald Cypress Trail.
I stayed in the campground on both visits. It is swampy and has lots of huge awesome trees. Glad I went before the bugs got bad. When I was setting up tent, I had five vultures right next to my site. There are so many vultures on the Eastern Shore.
Where there is a beach, one must go.
Posts from a former pier out into the Chesapeake Bay.
Posts were topped with seabirds. Out in the Chesapeake Bay is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (not to be confused with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Annapolis, Maryland). The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is a series of bridges and tunnels that span the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. You actually go from a bridge into tunnel in the middle of the bay, which allows ocean freighters to enter the bay.
The Bald Cypress Trail begins at the visitor and then crosses a bald cypress swamp. The bridge gives a good, up-close view of the swamp.
Sunbeams create amazing effects on the surface of the swamp. The short knobs that stick out of the swam are called “cypress knees” and are part of the root system of large bald cypresses.
Overgrown swamps are wonderful, especially with all the Spanish moss. I love the mirror effect that the still swamp water creates.
Swamp shadows.
Not all the trail was swamps. The Bald Cypress Trail loop is a fairly easy trail, with minimal elevation gained.
Boardwalk through the trees.
Mirror-like pond.
Swamp colors and shadows.
Wonderful greens.
Now for the Osmanthus Trail. This trail shares part of its path with the Bald Cypress Trail, so you can still get some cypress swamp views. Foliage increased dramatically in only a month.
The swamps are much darker now, with little light reaching the water.
Like a giant mirror. It’s hard to tell where the reflection actually begins.
Spanish moss and the mirror effect. I was so glad I returned to do another trail.
The Osmanthus Trail had its own boardwalk going through a new growth forest.
Just a wall of green.
A very shallow swamp.
Almost a jungle.
Lily pads!
Broad Bay, on the south side of the park, is part of one of the many waterways around Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
This is the only side of the bay that isn’t lined with houses. Yay for land protection! Much of this area would have looked a lot like the swamps and woodland of the park. The colonists that migrated to the area would have had a large problem with malaria.
First Landing State Park is fantastic. It has a bunch of foot and bike trails. It has swamps and even has two beaches. If you find yourself in the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area, this park is definitely worth a visit.
Check out my next update where I visit Chincoteague, home of the famous Chincoteague Ponies!
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Check out more national parks and other public lands!
