First Landing State Park

My family started vacationing here when I was a kid, in the late 1960's. Since retiring, my wife and I have returned most every year in late September to early October. A wonderful time to be there after the bugs and all the people. Love the simple remoteness of a place so close to the ocean. Perhaps the facilities are not up to the standards of some folks, but show me another state park so close, yet remote and inexpensive.

Arrived for the first time, when check-in received crime prevention tips flyer suggesting to protect belongings. The site was separated from 4 lanes road by high fence and couple feet bushes. Bathrooms are outdated and not very clean. Beach lovers will appreciate walking distance to the beach. Campground is not worth the price but it is one of the cheapest options to visit Virginia Beach. Try to choose sites far away from Shore Drive.

We stayed in Nov. and it was pretty quiet, very few other folks around. The camp store and laundromat were closed. We had a pull through site, which was great because we were staying in our RV for the first time and were nervous about backing in or out. We were a couple sites from the closest bathhouse and boardwalk to the ocean. I believe there were 4 boardwalks in the entire campground. The boardwalk takes you across the dunes to 1.5 miles of beautiful sand beach at Chesapeake Bay Beach. This is calmer than the "ocean side" around the corner on Virginia Beach. The bathhouse was rustic and could be cleaner. We had water and electric hook-up and had no complaints about either. The campground is located in the First Landing State Park which includes numerous trails. We biked the Cape Henry Trail and enjoyed the opportunity to experience the cypress swamp. The picnic table was pretty "seasoned" and we didn't use it. We bought wood at the office at the Visitor Center when we checked in. It wouldn't burn without our own kindling. But we did enjoy a fire one night. All in all we found it a good spot to camp, despite being a little rough around the edges. One thing that is worth mentioning is that the noise from the nearby military base is almost non-stop.

My planned 2 night stay at VA Beach coincided with Hurricane Michael's pass over the area. I experienced high wind gusts and lots of rain overnight my first night. The rangers were very good about warning campers about the risks and the options. The park even offered a full refund if I chose to cancel. My site felt safe to me. I was blocked pretty well. And though I did find it tough to sleep throughout the night I was glad to see there was no damage to my rig. And the site itself looked fine. Anyway, what I liked best about my site was it was a short walk to the beach. I could hear the waves crashing from my site. My Verizon signal was a good one. The sites are not too close together and have a little bit of privacy. Bonus: my site was level. I knew I had electric at the site but was surprised to see water was also available. (I don't know how I missed that.) The bathhouse was clean. There are private showers available though I did not check them out. One last thing: Google GPS got me lost getting there however Waze did the trick. I mentioned this at check-in and the Rangers said they had heard complaints from others in the past about Google.

This is a beautiful campground with quick access to the beach. Site 178 was pretty tight to back our rig in and we would not pick this site again. However, there are plenty of better sites we would choose from next time. The sites have a lot of privacy due to the trees and vegetation that separate them. We did not use the bath houses so I am not sure they looked. The dump station was one of the nicest we have seen thus far. Very clean with easy access. My favorite part of the campground was the state park across the road. It had great hiking trails and very helpful staff. There are also a lot of great restaurants near the campground.

We planned to stay for 2 nights, but ended up staying 5 - having to move twice due to tight availability. There are two basic types of sites - with water / electricity book up and without. Big RVs may have very hard time fitting in unless you know and reserve the right site, but smaller RVs will have little issue. Sites are very uneven though.

Beach access is directly from the park and it is the best feature here. The are also plenty of trails, sightseeing and great seafood restaurants to visit. The city is close by, but traffic can be bad, especially at the bridges and tunnels. Park is located right next to the active military base and you will wake up every morning at 8am to a national anthem played by loud speakers on the base.

Park is very pet friendly and pets are welcome at the beach and trails too.

We had great time here and will definitely come back for longer stay to better explore nearby Norfolk and Williamsburg.

First, the reservation system for this park was clunky. If you are familiar with the park and the sites, it might be fine but we were not so we reserved a non-specific site. This was a mistake as most (and the only ones left when we arrived) backed right up against a busy road! We were able to select a site specific site for a nominal upcharge. Our site was sandy (close to beach so expected) but not level. Fairly private. Sites vary significantly in size and quality so once again, if you are not familiar with the campground, you will be at a disadvantage. Multiple access points to the beach. Nice for walking but there was a fair amount of litter. Bathrooms were mostly clean but dated. Hot water was spotty. Biggest complaint is that our water hookup (site 174) was rusted and basically broken. Husband “Mac Gyvered” it to make it work but it needs maintenance (I did let the park know of this in their feedback form). Next to active military base but other than restricted access on the beach if you head east, this did not bother/affect us.

Our campsite at First Landing State Park was on the bay side. It was sandy and un-level but was one of the bigger sites that easily fit our 27' Airstream and F-250. The best part about this site was the short walk out to the beach. The downside was that it had some sort of goat head prickers in the sand that got on my socks and pants anytime I was outside of our trailer.

The campground itself is very big and sites are nicely spaced. This is a great spot for beach-goers.