False Cape State Park
False Cape State Park is a park in Sandbridge, Virginia Beach, best for solitude, backcountry-style camping near the city, cycling the barrier spit, birding.
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, south of the wildlife refuge, reachable only on foot, by bike, by boat, or on the park's seasonal tram. That single fact filters the crowds down to hikers, cyclists, paddlers, and primitive campers who earn miles of empty beach, interior maritime forest trails, and the site of the vanished 19th-century Wash Woods community. Plan around the refuge: its interior dike trails, the main through-route, close November through March to protect wintering waterfowl.
- Hidden Gem
Amenities
- Miles of undeveloped Atlantic beach
- Interior hiking and biking trails
- Primitive camping (permit required)
- Seasonal tram from Little Island Park
- Wash Woods historic site
Know Before You Go
- Best for: solitude, backcountry-style camping near the city, cycling the barrier spit, birding
- Parking: No vehicle access. Park at Little Island Park (paid lot) or Back Bay NWR's visitor lot ($5 vehicle fee April–October) and continue by foot, bike, boat, or seasonal tram.
- Accessibility: Access requires a multi-mile hike, bike ride, boat trip, or the seasonal tram; contact Virginia State Parks about tram accommodations. No conventional drive-up accessibility.
- Dogs: not allowed — The practical land routes cross Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, which restricts pets, and state park pet rules apply inside False Cape — verify both before bringing a dog. Most visitors should plan to leave pets at home.
- Location: 4001 Sandpiper Rd (contact station; park lies south of Back Bay NWR), Virginia Beach, VA
Last verified 2026-07-10.
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While You're in the Area
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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.