First Landing State Park Winter Bald Cypress Trails & Coastal Forest Stroll

About this adventure

First Landing State Park is Virginia's most visited state park, offering over 2,800 acres of protected coastal maritime forest, serene cypress swamps, and pristine Chesapeake Bay beaches in northern Virginia Beach. Winter brings a quiet, peaceful tranquility to the park, making it the ideal season for crisp family hikes through ancient freshwater swamps draped in Spanish moss. The famous Bald Cypress Trail features an elevated 1.5-mile wooden boardwalk that meanders gently over blackwater wetlands where kids can look for winter songbirds, deer, and knobby cypress knees jutting from the dark water. The Trail Center features informative wildlife exhibits, trail maps, and touchable natural history specimens to kick off your family excursion. With over 19 miles of well-marked, mostly flat hiking and biking trails shielded from coastal winds by maritime evergreen oaks and loblolly pines, First Landing provides a refreshing winter sanctuary for outdoor-loving families. Family Experience & Accessibility: • Stroller Accessibility: The Bald Cypress boardwalk loop and Cape Henry Trail are wide, level, and well-maintained for all-terrain strollers; standard strollers roll smoothly along the boardwalk sections. • Nursing & Rest Spots: The Trail Center offers heated indoor seating, park ranger assistance, and clean modern family restrooms with baby changing stations; trailside benches appear every few hundred yards. • Age Suitability: Perfect for all ages from infants in carriers and toddlers on flat boardwalks to active school-age children and birdwatching teens. • Sensory Tips: Natural, peaceful outdoor setting with soothing forest sounds and gentle birdsong; no loud traffic noise, making it wonderful for sensory-sensitive children.