Migrating birds of all sorts pass through the area, stopping for a few days to feed and rest before crossing the open expanse of the Chesapeake Bay. Virginia Beach is the state's most populous city, with all the amenities that suggests. And yet areas of the land have been protected from urban growth and remain today as pristine and lovely as they were when Captain John Smith was first exploring the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and the adjacent False Cape State Park are perfect examples. False Cape has no vehicular access.
Visitors trek in along the beach or via a rustic trail.
Read about high points of ecotourism here, and check the links below for many additional options and far richer detail on the ones mentioned here. Back Bay Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge contains 7,732 acres, situated on and around a thin strip of coastline typical of barrier islands found along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Habitats include beach, dunes, woodland, farm fields, and marsh. The majority of refuge marshlands are on islands contained within the waters of Back Bay. Approximately 10,000 snow geese and a large variety of ducks visit Back Bay Refuge during the peak of fall migration, usually in December.