State Park · Virginia
Virginia's most-visited state park, on the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia Beach, where the 1607 colonists first came ashore. Cypress swamps, a bay-side beach, the long Cape Henry Trail, camping, and cabins sit minutes from the city.
Field briefing
First Landing State Park rewards early starts and water math.
Before you go
Pay the small parking fee, or skip it as an overnight guest, and reserve a campsite or cabin early, since the cabins require a week minimum in peak summer and sell out. Come in spring or fall for the best swamp walking and fewer crowds.
The landmarks worth the trip. Tap any photo to enlarge.
Weather, crowds, and what the season changes about the trip.
Mild and green, with the cypress swamp at its lushest and comfortable trail weather.
Pack Bug protection for the swamp, sun layer, and water.
Hot and humid, with warm bay swimming and the busiest camping and beach use.
Pack Sun shirt, lots of water, strong insect protection, and beach gear.
Warm early, then cooling, with quieter trails and pleasant biking on the Cape Henry Trail.
Pack Layers, sun protection, and a bike if you want the long flat trail.
Cool and quiet, with bare cypress, good birding, and uncrowded trails.
Pack Warm layer, wind protection, and footwear for the boardwalks.
Bald Cypress Trail
The signature walk: a flat loop on boardwalks through a moss-draped bald cypress swamp, leaving from the Trail Center off Cypress Swamp Drive.
Cape Henry Trail
A wide, level multi-use path of dirt and sand running the length of the park, popular for hiking and biking and linking the campground area to the bay.
Chesapeake Bay beach
A calm bay-side beach on the Chesapeake, near the cape where the Virginia Company colonists first landed in 1607.
Put the access rule first: shuttle, parking, timed-entry, or reservation windows should decide the order of the day. For one day in First Landing State Park, make Bald Cypress Trail the non-negotiable, add Cape Henry Trail only if the first stop runs clean, and keep Chesapeake Bay beach as the flexible finish.
Turn First Landing's conditions into water, pack, and sleep-system decisions.
Build around exposure
Start with First Landing State Park's sun, water, and route demands.
Plan your trip
4 quick tools, already seeded for First Landing State Park. Tune water, pack weight, route time, and overnight warmth before the day gets locked in.
Start with the gear decisions this park changes: footing, weather, camping, and water.
Kit Authority
First Landing State Park packing list
0 of 21 packed. Check items as you pack, then take this list to the store, trailhead, or campsite.
Pack planning
Use this as a constraint check while you are still shaping the trip. The active checklist becomes useful once your route, dates, and sleep plan are set.
Checklist mode
21 items, grouped for the trip you are actually taking.
The buying guides that match what First Landing asks of your kit, with our current top picks across budget and use case.
Camp in the park's bay-side campground, with standard and electric sites a short walk from the beach, or rent one of the roughly 20 cabins, which range about $94 to $139 a night and require a week minimum in prime summer. The Virginia Beach oceanfront, just up the road, has abundant hotels and dining when the park is full.
Camping reservations
The park has a bay-side campground with standard and electric sites and around 20 cabins. Demand is high, since this is Virginia's most-visited state park, and the cabins carry minimum-stay rules in summer.
Reviewed June 11, 2026
Booking window
Virginia State Parks reserve through reservevaparks.com up to 11 months in advance, with same-day camping until 2 p.m. and free reservation transfers up to four days before arrival.
Where to book or verify
Official Virginia reservation portal, or call 800-933-7275.
Official park page with trails, camping, cabins, and fees.
Check for federal campground, backcountry, tour, and permit inventory tied to this park.
Campgrounds to know
Plan the handoff from arrival to shuttle.
Parking, pedestrian entrances, and shuttle timing decide how calmly the first morning starts.
Getting there
Car strategy
First Landing sits on Shore Drive (US 60) at the north end of Virginia Beach, along the Chesapeake Bay near Cape Henry.
Car strategy
The Trail Center and main day-use area are on one side of Shore Drive and the campground and beach on the other.
Car strategy
Most visitors drive in from Virginia Beach or Norfolk, just minutes away.
Pair this with lodging: sleep where the park transfer is simple, especially if your route needs an early start.
The park is near Cape Henry, where the Virginia Company colonists led by Christopher Newport first came ashore in April 1607 before sailing on to establish Jamestown. The park preserves that landing area along the Chesapeake Bay.
The Bald Cypress Trail is the signature walk, a flat boardwalk loop of about 1.5 to 2 miles through a moss-draped cypress swamp. For a longer, flatter route good for biking, the Cape Henry Trail runs about 7.5 miles through the park.
Yes. The park has a bay-side campground with standard and electric sites and around 20 cabins. Reserve through the Virginia system up to 11 months ahead, and note the cabins require a one-week minimum stay in prime summer.