Kiptopeke State Park

This past weekend, to celebrate the return to sunshine after a very waterlogged week, James, Anne, and I made a road trip across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel to visit Kiptopeke State Park on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Kiptopeke is famous for its beaches -- which front on the Chesapeake Bay -- and its birds -- the area serves as one of the nation's most important migratory bird study sites. In fact, the park has a little bit of a bird theme: each of the trails that wind through the woods is named for one of the birds that can be found making their home at the park: Warbler, mockingbird, osprey, peregrine falcon, raptor, and bald eagle.

The trails are a nice mix of terrains, from sand to gravel to boardwalk, and most are an easy walk for kids of all ages (ranging from .2-1.5 miles). Additionally, many of the boardwalk trails (including the one leading to the beach) are handicap accessible.

This was Baby A.'s first hiking experience in which she would be expected to ACTUALLY WALK as opposed to being carried on our backs, so we wanted to make sure that we kept things pretty easy for her little legs to handle. We decided to make a loop: take the Wood Warbler trail to the beach, and the Peregrine falcon boardwalk back to our car: all in all, about five blocks' worth of walking. I am forever grateful to the kind and gentle soul who thought to reinforce the raised boardwalk trail so that no toddlers could slip through the cracks. But I do kind of want to give the guy who decided on all the stairs a piece of my mind. Because you know A. had to climb each and every one of them herself and wouldn't accept any help, no sirree.

No, dada! I do it!

By far, the best part of Kiptopeke was the beach. It was so pristine and remote, acres of pale sand stretching up to the pine forest. The water that lapped up into the little coves was so clear and clean that we could see the sandy bottom, and the sand was littered with beautiful razorback clam shells and shark's purses. Anne collected so many of them that by the time we got back to the boardwalk, our pockets were full.

Besides the beach and the overlooks, Kiptopeke offers a fishing pier, boat ramp, and bike trails, as well as camping and lodge facilities for overnighters (including several yurts -- awesome!) And because we were there late in the day, we got to see one of the best sights the park has to offer: the sun sinking right down into the Chesapeake. Definitely a beautiful thing to behold after all those days of rain.

Click here for more information on visiting the park, including a trail map.

Have you ever been to Kiptopeke? What was your favorite part?