Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge Beach
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge Beach is a beach in Sandbridge, Virginia Beach, best for birding and wildlife photography, quiet beach walks, hiking to False Cape State Park, solitude.
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge protects about 3 miles of Atlantic shoreline south of Sandbridge, reached on foot from the Visitor Contact Station via two boardwalks over the dunes: the quarter-mile Seaside Trail and the slightly longer Dune Trail with its midway viewing platform. This is a beach for walking, birding, and photography rather than a swim day — the refuge's posted rules prohibit swimming, surfing, and sunbathing on its sand, and the northernmost mile is permanently closed to protect nesting and wintering wildlife. No pets of any kind are allowed on the refuge (service animals excepted), a stricter rule than anywhere else on this list. It's also the walk-in gateway to False Cape State Park, which begins immediately to the south.
- Hidden Gem
- Wheelchair Accessible
Amenities
- Seaside Trail boardwalk (0.25 mile) to the beach
- Dune Trail boardwalk with midway viewing platform
- Visitor Contact Station
- Horn Point kayak/canoe launch (seasonal, separate entrance)
Know Before You Go
- Best for: birding and wildlife photography, quiet beach walks, hiking to False Cape State Park, solitude
- Parking: Small lot at the Visitor Contact Station, 4005 Sandpiper Rd. Vehicle entrance fee $5/day April 1–October 31 (free November 1–March 31); pedestrians and cyclists always enter free. Trailers are not accommodated — limited parking.
- Accessibility: Both beach-access boardwalks are raised, hard-surfaced trails; the Dune Trail's midway platform offers a viewing stop without completing the full walk to the sand.
- Dogs: not allowed — Pets are not allowed anywhere on the refuge at any time of year (in effect since April 1, 2011), with the sole exception of service animals. This is a year-round, no-season-exception rule — stricter than the city's seasonal beach hours.
- Location: 4005 Sandpiper Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23456 (refuge Visitor Contact Station), between Sandbridge and False Cape State Park, Virginia Beach, VA
Last verified 2026-07-11.
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While You're in the Area
Back Bay Getaways
Sandbridge's southernmost outfitter, near Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge — guided kayak and bike tours, rentals, and overnight trips into False Cape.
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Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge
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Baja Coffee Co
Sandbridge's morning coffee counter alongside Baja Restaurant, pouring Fair Trade Organic Peruvian coffee and cold brew from 7am to noon.
Baja Restaurant
Sandbridge's end-of-the-road seafood spot right on Back Bay, with live entertainment and sunset water views.
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Boardwok Restaurant
Family-owned Chinese and Asian-American kitchen near Sandbridge with a weather-permitting outdoor lanai and made-to-order, gluten-free-friendly dishes.
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False Cape State Park
One of the last undeveloped stretches of the Atlantic coast — and you cannot drive to it. False Cape occupies the barrier spit between Back Bay and the ocean,…
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Upcoming Events Nearby
Sandbridge Pig Pickin'
September 12, 2026 · annual
The Sandbridge Volunteer Rescue Squad's all-you-can-eat pig roast at Little Island Park has been the neighborhood's signature fundraiser for more than four decades, paying for the advanced life-saving equipment behind the squad's 1,000-plus annual emergency calls. Barbecue, beer and wine, live music, local art vendors, and a bounce house for kids fill the park for an afternoon, with free admission for children under 10. It's Sandbridge at its most neighborly -- a beach-community fundraiser rather than a tourist draw, held at the same park that anchors the south end of the beach.
Cherry Blossom Festival
March 26, 2027 – March 28, 2027 · annual
Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation's spring showcase fills Red Wing Park's cherry tree grove with live cultural performances, martial arts demonstrations, and hands-on crafts timed to peak bloom in late March. The 2026 edition added a first-ever Nighttime Hanami, lighting the blossoms after dark on opening evening before the daytime festival took over the weekend. Admission and parking are free, with an overflow grass field opening for weekend crowds -- a genuinely photogenic, low-key alternative to the Oceanfront festival circuit, along General Booth Boulevard.