10 Best Winter Hikes in Hampton Roads
Walking and cycling have become increasingly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although colder weather may be a draw back for some walkers, many of Hampton Roads trails come into their own during the winter months.
Quieter trails, a respite from the heat and a lack of bugs make the winter months an ideal time for walking. Here is a list of the top 10 winter hike places in Hampton Roads.
1. First Landing State Park, Virginia Beach
First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach was one of the first six state parks to be opened to the public in the commonwealth on June 15, 1936, when it was called Seashore State Park. The trails are lengthy and have lots of opportunity to see wildlife. You can go all the way from the beach up to some of the biggest hills in Virginia Beach and look down on Broad Bay. Many of the trails were recently added to Google Maps, which means walkers are less likely to get lost.
2. Lone Star Lakes Park, Suffolk
The trails at Lone Star Lakes Park are almost as extensive as at First Landing, but the park with nine lakes off Kings Highway in Suffolk is a hidden gem. Check out a trail called Chuckatuck Creek.
3. Chesapeake Arboretum, Chesapeake
Chesapeake Arboretum on Oak Grove Road is another favorite winter walk. It’s right in the middle of the city and it’s beautiful. The city of Chesapeake recently took over the park from a nonprofit. They have built about six new bridges. There is a greenhouse there and a 100-year-old farmhouse. Most of the trails are wooded, offering protection from the elements in the winter and shade from the summer sun.
4. False Cape State Park, Virginia Beach
False Cape is one of the most remote and inaccessible state parks in Virginia. The park occupies a mile-wide barrier spit between Back Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. It can be accessed through the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, but visitors cannot drive to the park. The refuge trails are closed from Nov. 1 through March 31. Access to the park during the winter months is restricted to hiking or biking along the beach or by boat.
5. Ragged Island Wildlife Management Area, Isle of Wight
It’s easy to miss Ragged Island Wildlife Management Area off U.S. Route 17 at the south end of the James River Bridge in Carrollton. If you go at low tide, you can walk the shore for about 2.5 miles out to Ragged Island. You can find beach glass along the shore. Ragged Island is an ideal winter walk when bugs are not a pest on the marshes. It’s a round trip of about 5 miles.
6. Northwest River Park, Chesapeake
The city of Chesapeake manages numerous trails at the 763-acre Northwest River Park close to the North Carolina state line. The park also has a campsite, disc golf and mini-golf course and year-round canoe and boat rentals.
7. Olde Towne Portsmouth and Downtown Norfolk
Urban walks are fun as well in the winter. You can do a mile or two around Waterside and the downtown district in Norfolk, and then we’ll hop on the ferry and walk around Olde Towne Portsmouth.
8. Lake Maury Natural Area, Newport News
While the trail around Lake Maury, a man-made lake that is being renamed Mariners’ Lake at the Mariners Museum and Park, is well known, Middletown said Lake Maury Natural Area to the northeast of Warwick Boulevard is less discovered. Highlights of the 4.2-mile walk include an extensive bamboo forest.
9. Grandview Nature Preserve, Hampton
The 500-acre preserve on the Chesapeake Bay is known for its birds. Northern gannets or tundra swans can be spotted in the winter as they fly over offshore waters. Black skimmer, American oystercatcher, and other shorebirds frequent the windswept beaches, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
10. Pleasure House Point Natural Area, Virginia Beach
Pleasure House Point Natural Area is 118 acres of tidal marsh, sandy shores and maritime forest at the site of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Brock Environmental Center near Chic’s Beach. Go under the Lesner Bridge, down the beach, through the park and make a big 5- to 6-mile loop through the park.