False Cape State Park

False Cape is Fantastic. Great for Hiking, biking, and camping. I will say it is an easy hike for me BUT can be challenging because of the sandy parts. This is an out and back not a loop. We always park at National Wildlife Refudge and go through there. Views are Beaches and trees, forest and dunes, wild plants and wild life. Take plenty of water and sunscreen. A hat is always good. I take a day backpack when we go. Tick spray is also a great thing.I can't believe I have never written a review on False Cape State Park. We have had countless adventures hiking and biking. We prefer biking because hiking is a very long hike. There is a long stretch that is not shaded. It is a wonderful area. Very well kept. You can camp with a tent . If you get a camp site on the beach they also give you a second camp site just incase it gets super windy you can fall back to the second campsite. You can book all that with the park. OOO they also offer kayak tours too. I have not done the kayak tour through them but we are planning our kayak trip for this year. Again you book that through the park. They supply you with kayak, life vest and paddle.I think it is about 5 miles from Back Bay Wildlife Refuge to False cape State Park and a little further is the beach. Don't quote me on that. So a round trip on a bike is about 10 miles. And some of the trails around in False cape are so sandy we have locked our bikes at the gift shop and hike the sandy trails. There is a old historical grave yard and a church steeple on one of the trails that is a really cool walk. maybe about a mile round trip. I love the visitor center at False Cape. They have the nicest restrooms. They have snacks and drinks and a place to fill up your water bottles and If you want to get a cool tshirt or a beach towel or a refrigerator magnet they have that too. It is the prettiest visitor center and ALWAYS a friend staff inside to answer any questions.

False Cape-VA State Park. My 20th state park visit. I get a 20 park pin for this in the mail from VA State Parks. I'm a hiker not a biker. Today, I wish I was a biker. Only bikes and hikes are allowed thru the Back Water Bay Refuge, to get to False Cape. 3.5-4 miles from BWB Refuge.That just gets you to the official sign/entrance to the park. It's another couple miles to the Visiors Center. Then miles of actual trail hikes and enjoying the park. Then , don't forget all those same miles to get back to your car. (BWB Refuge review to come shortly) It was an interesting hike into and out of False Cape on BWB trail. I finally made it to the sign/entrance for False Cape. Sat down, gulped my water and headed back to the car. What was at first an overcast day turned into a hot mess with a severe storm opening up as my foot touched the parking lot to get in my car! I may have been a weeny to get to the entrance and turn around to go back but a smart weenie I was, because, had I been stuck on that trail in that weather with massive lightning and torrential rain, my life would have been at stake. No kidding, my foot hit the pavement and BAM! It was insane. I'm so glad I listen to my instincts. As long as that trail was, 7.5 miles out and back, total, I knew time was limited and I wouldn't let myself stop for longer than a couple gulps of water and a quick pour over my head. Maybe I can go back in the next years. Why 5 stars? VA State Parks are always an adventure! I went! I made it! And I got back to my car just in time! Most of my story is for BWB Refuge, in which, I just told half that story here! It's hard to separate the locations into 2 reviews! 5 Stars for False Cape. The Southernmost VA State Park.

I have been missing out! While looking on the Back Bay Wilderness Refuge site I found False Cape and thought it was pretty cool that the only way in from Back Bay is through bike or hike. We rode in from Back Bay the 4.5 miles or so via bike and found the tidy visitor center and restrooms which had recently closed for the day (the bathrooms are kept open). We took the 0.7 mile trail to the Atlantic Ocean and found a bike rack and a virtually deserted beach. Plenty of campsites covered with trees and shade were nearby and some camping on the beach is also allowed with permit. There are miles and miles of trails. We ran out of time but this was only a first visit! The gravel road in is easy to travel and well maintained. I will be back again and again! Beautiful park.

I am still in "awe@ over my day trip to this state/federal park, beach and camp ground. It is one of Virgo's best kept secrets. I went with a few of my sorority sisters. We rode our bikes to the beach. I kept asking myself why did I go to Costa Rica with access to a beach like this less than 3 hours away? The water was so clear. The sand was nice and clean. There was hardly anyone there. I didn't want to leave.I can't wait to go back on a romantic date or to camp overnight with friends.

A beautiful must have place to visit. It's not over crowded and a great place if you love the outdoors. My favorite part is the ocean side. I love sitting by the water. Tons of people fish here. It's not for swimming but nice to put your feet in and look for shells. The bay side is nice too. Lots of wildlife to see. Bring some food and have yourself a nice little picnic

One walks to this park through the neighboring wildlife reserve, which takes some time (unless you get a ride in, which seems to defeat the point and which didn't seem available when I dropped in). The predominant trails are gravel roads shared by occasional park vehicles, so it's not like you're trudging through the swamp. The scenery around is pretty impressive, and more diverse-from what I saw-than the wildlife reserve. While there was plenty of black water in this park, there was also some fairly thick forest.Surprisingly, there are actual facilities; even though the visitor center was closed for corona, the bathrooms with running water were still open. Signs nearby warn of cottonmouth snakes, and if you are Indiana Jones, I would recommend avoiding this park. One nasty-looking snake was blocking a path but I was fortunate to be escorted past it by the driver of one of the rare park-approved vehicles on the road. I also saw a fairly large snapping turtle and something that looked like a paddlefish, but unfortunately neither of them liked me very much and photographing things in dark water is not easy. I didn't get to anywhere near all of the sites, and it would take a full day or more to walk them, but the diverse topography, chirping birds, and pleasant sea breeze would make it a very nice day.

Living in Coastal Virginia has turned me into an "outdoorsy person." Having places like False Cape State Park within reach is a big reason for that.I visited yesterday for a 20-mile bike ride that took us from the Back Bay Wildlife Refuge through False Cape and down to the Wash Woods Settlement. The path was well maintained and not too bad to take on riding beach cruisers. Although several spots of soft sand required us to walk a few sections. Most of these were in the areas near the abandoned settlement grounds and indicated on the trail map.You can visit the site and check out the old church steeple and the cemetery with graves over 100 years old. They used to lay seashells on the graves like we typically do with flowers. The steeple has been preserved in a glass enclosure.Most of the ride is shaded. We didn't see any snakes, but keep your eyes out and keep your distance. The visitor's center was open for window service and even had a little bike maintenance spot. I can't wait to return to check out more of the Park! Next time we want to make it down to the NC border!Want to check it out too? Here is a helpful set of directions I copied from a website:False Cape State Park is located adjacent to the Sandbridge section of Virginia Beach, Virginia. There is no private vehicular access to the park. Directions to Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge from Interstate 64.:Exit to I-264 East ( Towards the Oceanfront)Take Birdneck Road Exit (Exit 22)Turn Right onto Birdneck RoadTravel Approximately 3-4 miles to the intersection with General Booth BoulevardTurn Right onto General Booth Blvd.Travel approximately 5 milesAfter crossing Nimmo Parkway, pay close attention to road signs.Get into the left hand lane so you can turn left at the next traffic light.Turn left onto Princess Anne Road at the lightA 7-11 store is on the left at this corner*At the next traffic light, proceed straight through the light(middle lane).Note: When you have traveled through the light the road turns into Sandbridge Rd.A Bloom Grocery Store should be on your right when going through the lightFollow Sandbridge Road until you enter the Community of SandbridgeMake a right turn onto Sandpiper Road just past the Fire StationFollow Sandpiper Road for approximately 4 miles.You will pass Little Island City Park on the left.The entrance to Back Bay NWR is at the end of Sandpiper Road

I am a pretty perseverant person and when I'm on a mission, in this case- geocaching there was no stopping me. No lack of preparation, no lack of others' failure to cover all bases for employee training or lack of knowledge of services provided by the parks/refuge stopped me. Not even the 8 mile plus bike ride round trip from Back Bay Refuge was going to deter me. After all, it's the things we work the hardest for which are the one things that are worth the struggle. Or so I hoped. It definitely was. If you enter False Cape through VA, please note you can ONLY hike or bike to get there. Or if you take the tram it's an actual tour that costs $8. Bring EXACT change or something they can exchange for less than a $50. Your best bet if you don't have anything smaller than a $100 bill go break that Benjamin at any of those stores before you reach Sand bridge, otherwise you won't be making the tram ride. Should you forget to break that change your last promising chance for change will be at the Sandbridge market which is the mini mart when you first make a right onto sandpiper. It's a LONG ways from the Back Bay gate ( 7 minutes drive if you're fast). The tram that leaves at 9am and returns back at 1pm will not drop you off to venture on your own like I originally thought. This was my fault to think so. I read it the way I wanted to interpret it subconsciously, which was the WRONG way. The visitor center is very clean and looks new. The employees that assisted us were friendly and nice. An older gentleman and a young lady. However, it was a bit frustrating because neither of them really had much knowledge of geocaching and use of their gps equipment. The young lady stated she just started two weeks ago. Save your money and just use your smartphone to geocache. Sprint seems to have better service out there than Verizon.If you go geocaching at FAlse Cape, I strongly recommend long pants. The brush out there gets dense and there are prickly plants that will tear you up, as well as poison ivy. Also watch out for snakes!

I have been to this beautiful State Park a few times over the years. Very relaxing and a nice place to hike. Remember to bring water and stay hydrated. It can get pretty hot. I love dragonflies so there were many subjects to chose from. Great place to bring your camera and just get lost among the little trails.

If you decide to take a break from busy life and you vacation in Sandbridge you will be able to lower the stress one notch down with the visit to tranquil and serene False Cape State Park. No need to go out too far, as the area at the entrance has a lot to offer. I felt that my progress in the park was reciprocal with number of flies landing on me so my pictures captures the beauty within a mile from the entrance. After 6 and before sundown the entrance is free.