Archive for the ‘Eastern Virginia’ Category
Belle Isle State Park - Lancaster, VA
Posted by Chris | Filed under Eastern Virginia, State Parks, Trail Information
Belle Isle State Park in Lancaster, VA
Located in the rural Northern Neck of Virginia, Belle Isle is the first state park to be purchased with funds from the $95 million 1992 Parks and Recreational Facilities Bond Referendum. The 733-acre site is a window to the beautiful lower Rappahannock River in Lancaster County. Waterfront in the area has been developed extensively by private landowners with little public recreational access. This fact made the lower Rappahannock a priority for purchasing land for a new state park. The park has seven miles of frontage on the north shore of the Rappahannock, and it borders Deep and Mulberry creeks. It features diverse tidal and nontidal wetlands, lowland marshes, tidal coves and upland forests.
Location:
Lancaster County on the Rappahannock River. From Warsaw, take State Route 3 East to SR 354. Turn right and follow for three miles. Turn right onto SR 683 near Litwalton to the park entrance. From Kilmarnock, take Route 3 West to Lively, then left on SR 201 for three miles, then right on SR 354 for three miles and left onto 683 to the park entrance.
Belle Isle has a lot to offer to visitors including camping, fishing, boat access, and much much more. For full information on all of its services and fees, take a look at the Belle Isle State Park website.
Kiptopeke State Park
Posted by Chris | Filed under Eastern Virginia, State Parks, Trail Information
Located near Cape Charles, three miles north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, this 590-acre park has several short trails along the beach and through maritime forest. Sunken, concrete-filled ships form a protected area for swimming in the Chesapeake Bay, and a 1,000-foot pier offers some good fishing opportunities. Stroll along the 1.5-mile Baywoods Trail and connect with the southern beach via a series of interconnected boardwalks that thread through the dunes.
Since 1963, Kiptopeke has been the site of bird population studies. Sponsored by the Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory and licensed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, volunteers capture, examine, weigh, band and release resident and migratory birds each year from mid-August through November. In the raptor research area, hawks, kestrels, osprey and other birds of prey are observed and banded from September through November. Kiptopeke’s hawk observatory is among the top 15 nationwide.
Hiking/bicycle trails - More than four miles of trails. Stroll through upland hardwood forest along Baywoods Trail and look for tracks of foxes, deer and many birds. In the fall, you can visit the Kiptopeke Bird Banding Station and watch the ongoing research. The southern beach also is perfect for a hike. The upland Baywoods Trail and southern beach are connected by extensive boardwalks so that visitors may explore Kiptopeke’s dune formation. When hiking on the southern beach, please observe signs designating the special habitat area that is closed to visitors. Bicycle trails are available along the park’s entrance road and the Raptor, Songbird, Chickadee and Mockingbird trails.
Guided hikes, fishing clinics, canoe programs (fee), beach bonfire programs, waterfront activities, hayride (fee); weekly birding programs in the fall. Clean the Bay Day, mid-June. Bird-banding, mid-August - late November. Eastern Shore Birding Festival, September. Hayrides, late October.
Kiptopeke State Park,
3540 Kiptopeke Drive
Cape Charles, VA 23310
Phone: (757) 331-2267
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
Posted by Chris | Filed under Eastern Virginia, Trail Information
Chincoteague NWR, located primarily on the Virginia side of Assateague Island, consists of more than 14,000 acres of beach, dunes, marsh, and maritime forest. Chincoteague NWR, originally established in 1943 to provide habitat for migratory birds (with an emphasis on conserving greater snow geese), today provides habitat for waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds, and song birds, as well as other species of wildlife and plants. Refuge staff manage this barrier island habitat to allow many species of wildlife to coexist, each establishing their own place in the environment. In fact, more than 320 species of birds are known to occur on the refuge. The refuge has been designated a Globally Important Bird Area, is part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network and designated as one of the top ten birding Hotspots by the National Audubon Society.
Refuge management programs restore threatened and endangered species such as the Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel, the bald eagle and the piping plover. More than 2,600 acres of man-made marshes, or moist soil management units, are managed for wintering waterfowl and shorebirds during migration. Unique residents of the island, the famous Chincoteague ponies, are housed in two areas on the refuge through a special agreement with the ponies’ owners, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.
With approximately 1.4 million visits a year, Chincoteague NWR is one of the most visited refuges in the nation. Chincoteague NWR provides visitors with extraordinary educational and recreational opportunities. In addition, a special partnership exists with the National Park Service which allows Assateague Island National Seashore to administer public activities on a five-mile portion of the refuge beach.
The new Herbert H. Bateman Educational and Administrative Center offers educational exhibits, an auditorium and wet laboratory/classroom for visiting group
Details: There is a $10 entrance fee per vehicle, good for one week. The nearby village of Chincoteague has dining and lodging options. July brings crowds for the famous Pony Swim and Auction.
Information: 757-336-6122, http://chinco.fws.gov/
Chancellorsville
Posted by Chris | Filed under Eastern Virginia, Trail Information
Description: In the thicket of the Wilderness, near a roadside tavern, Robert E. Lee achieved his greatest victory of the Civil War. This loop trail, approximately four miles in length, traverses portions of the May 3rd battlefield and the final Union defensive line. Blue blazes on trees and mowed paths in the clearings mark the route. Signs and maps at key locations will help you understand what occurred along the trail.
Total Distance: 4 miles round trip
Location/Directions: Locust Grove, VA — I-95 south to Rt 3 West. Visitor’s center is about 8 miles from I-95. Trail head begins at the visitor’s center.
Difficulty: East
Elevation Gain: 300 ft
Finding the Trailhead: The trail begins at the Visitors Center.
