Grandview Nature Preserve

As a nature preserve, this does not have the amenities of a park, including bathrooms, water, picnic tables, that sort of thing. So there isn't a parking lot; you just line up on the street near the entrance. It's a ten or fifteen minute walk through some coastal jungle to get to the ocean (signage suggested there was no beach access, which is quite untrue; I'm not sure why it says that).Accepting these limitations, when you get to the beach, you find the Chesapeake looking about as oceanic as it gets, with a gravelly shore that had seaweed and crabs in abundance the day I stopped by. There's plenty of space to spread out, and I would much rather see the space like this than see it developed and altered.

So, I wasn't going to write a review about this place because I didn't want word to get out and have this secluded section of the beach become overrun with beachgoers. Well, Hampton.gov just mentioned it, so word is out. This beach is so nice and secluded. There's no mass parking lot. You need to get there early to park in the residential area. Then, it's a bit of a hike through the preserve to get to the beach. It's totally worth the hike and hauling your sun tent and gear. The water is warmer here (Chesapeake) than the nearby Atlantic Ocean in Virginia Beach. There's a long coastline for walking, and you might meet a crab or two looking to find their way back into the bay. I helped one little guy with a twig stuck to him. I like this beach better than Fort Monroe now that the teenage crew have discover it. There were only a dozen or less families here when we went. I hope it stays that way.

This nature preserves hides the best Private beach in Hampton. If you walk the trail for about 9 mins you come upon grandview beach. The beach is very quite, not too many people. You can find a spot on the beach without crowds of people all over. Anyway back to the preserve since this review is supposed to be about the preserve. The preserve itself is nice but very buggy so be careful. You will get attacked by mosquitoes and things that bite. In the sand there's sharp rocks and glass so wear protective shoes not sandals. Change into your sandals when you get to the beach at the end. After walking thru the trail to the beach I discovered a tick crawling up my pants so be mindful of that as well. Parking is hard to come by since it is technically in a private residential area, just be patient and diligent you will find something. If you come early like 10am 11ish, there will be plenty of parking.

This is such a hidden gem. Beautiful Forest preserve. Such peace and tranquility with the beautiful sand and birds. I think the shocking part is that it's so much larger than you might expect the beach just goes on for miles. The walking paths are so nicely up kept within the preserve. Definitely a must visit great place for contemplation and turning inwards.

What a fun place! Parking is scarce since the entrance is near residential homes, so get here early. The 10ish minute dirt and rock path to the beach is flat, surrounding by marsh, flowers, plants, trees, and other greenery.The path opens up to a beautiful beach area with so much to explore - seaweed, crab holes, shells, and more.

It was a nice area. You have to park on the street in a kind of residential area which was a little odd to me. The walk to the beach was decent but not too long. We went during the week and there was not a lot of people there. My only complaint were the amount of washed up jellyfish and biting flys. The biting flys made us cut our beach walk short.

So beautiful and great place for a walk, photos and play! My family enjoys this beautiful park! It feels like you've stepped into another world!

This place is not the best but it definitely isn't terrible. The trail is only about 10 min long and it does not have big walk ways so you have to step to the side when people are passing. It is however nice if you like to fish. At the end of the trail, there are lots of spots for you to play in the sand and go crabbing. Not many spots for parking.

This is one of my favorite local off the beaten path beaches to go too. After a half mile walk on stone/hardtop/sand the path opens to the water. There is some history behind the land and a pile of rocks from and lighthouse taken out by a storm.The beach is wide open. No lifeguards and having been here before on a calmer day I have seen some drop off areas very close to shore so beware when swimming.No restrooms at all keep that in mind.There are a variety of shells, crabs and other things washed up on shore to explore. Water on one side and grass/dunes on the otherside.

Beautiful beach area but VERY BUGGY! Black flies were everywhere. We were there for about 10 minutes and left.