GENERAL INFO: Kiptopeke Birding Areas - Since 1963, Kiptopeke has been the site of bird population studies. Sponsored by the Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory and licensed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, volunteers capture, examine, weigh, band and release resident and migratory birds each year from mid-August through November. In the raptor research area, hawks, kestrels, osprey and other birds of prey are observed and banded from September through November. Kiptopeke’s hawk observatory is among the top 15 nationwide. New in 2007: Five 6-bedroom family lodges with gas fireplaces.
AT-A-GLANCE
The pictographs directly below show park offerings. Click on those of interest or read below for more detail. Mouse-over the image for a short text description or click here to view a legend in which each pictograph's meaning is expressed.
LOCATION: Located on the eastern shore of Virginia, this park offers recreational access to the Chesapeake Bay and the chance to explore a unique coastal habitat featuring a major flyway for migratory birds. Kiptopeke is three miles from the northern terminus of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, which has a substantial each-way toll charge, on Route 13. Turn west on Route 704; the park entrance is within a half mile. The park has an area for swimming Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Drive Time : (Bay Bridge Tunnel Traffic may extend time) Northern Virginia, four hours; Tidewater/Norfolk/Virginia Beach, 45 minutes; Richmond, two hours; Roanoke, five hours
Click here for a Google map.
PARK MAP: Click here (PDF). Click here for a park trail guide (PDF).
OVERNIGHT FACILITIES: Camping. For information on availability of overnight accommodations, particular park amenities or to make a reservation, you can reserve online or call 1-800-933-PARK. Click here for park fees.
Click here for details on reservation cancellation and transfer policies. A fee is charged per pet per night for overnight stays.
Lodges
Five have been built and are open. During prime season, lodges are reserved for full weeks only. The reservation period starts on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. A two-night minimum stay is required the rest of the year, however in prime season guests who wish to stay less than a week may call 30 days prior to desired arrival date to see if there is vacancy for two-night minimum stay. They are open year-round and may be reserved 11 months in advance. Each lodge offers:
Total sites of each type: LD6B, 5
Site type:
LD6B: six bedrooms, sleeps 16 (allows 16), three baths, handicapped accessible, two queen size beds in two bedrooms, two single beds in two bedrooms, two sets of bunk beds each in two bedrooms (each room sleeps four); no bed rentals.
Yurt and RV guests
Check-in time is 3 p.m. on arrival date; Checkout is 10 a.m. on departure date. Prices are the same as those for one-bedroom cabins (click here for details). The rental season for our onsite RVs is March 1 through end of camping season, the first Monday in December each year. The rental season for Kiptopeke's yurt ends after Labor Day because thereafter it's used by research staff. Cabin rental and cancellation policies apply to the yurt and RVs. Weekly rentals are required in prime season, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Weekly rentals start Friday, Saturday or Sunday. There's a two-night minimum rental during rest of camping season. The yurt is the only facility at Kiptopeke that does not allow pets.
Yurt
Recreational yurts are a modern adaptation of an ancient nomadic 
shelter,
combining a beautiful wood frame and durable, electronically bonded architectural
fabric. Functionally speaking, it's a cross between a tent and a cabin. The
Kiptopeke yurt, the only of its kind in Virginia's park system, has a spectacular
view of the Chesapeake Bay with a large wooden deck, picnic table, fire ring
with cooking grate, an exterior floodlight, food preparation table and a water
spigot. Reservations are required. No smoking, cooking
or pets are allowed in the yurt. Two vehicles allowed with room to park boat or trailer. Additional vehicles must pay the daily parking fee and park in the overflow lot.
RV
Kiptopeke now has seven 27-foot Prowler (r) RV trailers for rent. Smoking is not allowed. Guests must bring their own linens, pillows and TV.
Campgrounds (other than Yurt and RVs):
Total sites of each site type: TENT, 47; REWA, 54; R304 (E/W/Sewer), 32; RVs, 7; YURT, 1; GPOP, 5
Site type:
Total campsites: 147
CABINS / CAMPING: Click here for park fees. Rental rates for cabins and camping vary by season, offering and park. Rates are subject to verification by DCR's state parks reservations staff (1-800-933-PARK). First determine the season, which varies by park, then the rate.
SWIMMING: Unguarded beach swimming on Chesapeake Bay coast (no charge). Kiptopeke’s northern beach fronts nearly half a mile on the Chesapeake Bay and features a beach and swimming area from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Pets are not allowed on the beach. In the summer, swimming is free for overnight guests in campsites, cabins and the lodge, however it cannot be guaranteed should circumstances beyond the park's control require that swimming be closed. No canoes, kayaks or boats are allowed in the swimming area.
TRAILS: Hiking/bicycle trails - More than four miles of trails. Stroll through upland hardwood forest along Baywoods Trail and look for tracks of foxes, deer and many birds. In the fall, you can visit the Kiptopeke Bird Banding Station and watch the ongoing research. The southern beach also is perfect for a hike. The upland Baywoods Trail and southern beach are connected by extensive boardwalks so that visitors may explore Kiptopeke’s dune formation. When hiking on the southern beach, please observe signs designating the special habitat area that is closed to visitors. Bicycle trails are available along the park’s entrance road and the Raptor, Songbird, Chickadee and Mockingbird trails.
FISHING, BOATING: Fishing: The concrete ships located off the park’s waterfront offer some of Virginia’s finest fishing. For the land-lover, a large fishing pier with picnic tables and lights to attract fish is available. No fishing licence is required from the pier, but a valid Virginia saltwater fishing licence is required for fishing from the shore. Pier fees apply (adults, $3/day; children, $1/day; adult coupon book, $20). The southern beach is great for surf fishing and beachcombing. Boat Launch: Motorboats are allowed. The ramp has 4.5-foot mean low water. Parking limited to 70 boat trailers. Because parking is limited, campers who wish to park their trailer at the boat launch area must pay $3. There's no charge for boat launching for camping guests who park trailers at their campsite. Click here for park fees. Purchase an annual boat launch passport by calling 1-800-933-PARK.
For information on fishing and boating regulation and licenses, visit the Virginia Marine Resource Commission's website. For the latest fishing update, click here. Click here for information about tides - pick "Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore," then "Kiptopeke Beach."
HUNTING: Click here to learn about this park's hunting opportunities.
PARKS CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Click here to view park events, festivals, workshops and interpretive programs.
VISITOR CENTER, GIFT SHOP: None.
NATURE, HISTORY PROGRAMS: Guided hikes, fishing clinics, canoe programs (fee), beach bonfire programs, waterfront activities, hayride (fee); weekly birding programs in the fall. Clean the Bay Day, mid-June. Bird-banding, mid-August - late November. Eastern Shore Birding Festival, September. Hayrides, late October. Click here to view park events, festivals, workshops and interpretive programs.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER: Kiptopeke is a perfect place to bring students to learn about the Chesapeake Bay. The park features Virginia’s State Parks: Your Backyard Classrooms, a 40-activity curriculum guide for use by teachers of grades K-12. More information is available by calling the park. Fall bird-banding tours are available by appointment. Please call the park office for scheduling: (757) 331-2267.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS: Virginia Beach and Norfolk attractions are 45 minutes away. Williamsburg, Yorktown and Chincoteague all within 1.5 hours of park; eastern shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, one of the United States' top five visitor centers, has free access and is three miles south; quaint waterfront towns and fishing villages; Cape Charles has historical museum, art gallery, restaurants, antique shops and harbor; unique boating experiences such as passenger ferry to Tangier Island; charter fishing rentals; Cape Charles-Northampton County Chamber of Commerce and the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce have brochures available. Check out the nearby Eastern Shore of Virginia Fisherman Island and National Wildlife Refuges, one of North America's most important bird migration corridors. Also nearby are the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and the Assateague Island National Seashore.
PICNIC SHELTERS: Kiptopeke has two shelters available for rent. Each can be rented from 8 a.m. to dusk (all day). They're available March through November. Click here for park fees. Each is near park restrooms. Parking fees are in addition to shelter rental.
Shelter 1 - This shelter offers a grill, picnic tables and nearby restrooms. It accommodates up to 80 and have three wheelchair openings. Nine tables are 7 feet long and three others, which are handicapped accessible, are 16 feet long. There's also seating available outside the shelter for up to 40 additional people, but these tables cannot be rented. The shelter has no elecricity. A playground, drink machine, and water hydrants and several grills are nearby.
Shelter 2 - This shelter offers a grill, picnic tables and nearby restrooms. It accommodates up to 80 and have three wheelchair openings. Nine tables are 7 feet long and three others, which are handicapped accessible, are 16 feet long. There's also seating available outside the shelter for up to 40 additional people, but these tables cannot be rented. The shelter has no elecricity. A playground, drink machines and water hydrants are nearby, as are several grills.
Cancellation policy: No refund within 14 days before reserved date. Before then, there's a cancellation fee.
CONCESSIONS: Operated throughout the camping year. Also included are firewood, ice, drinks, hats, shirts and postcards. A camp store is open thoughout the summer and on weekends in fall. Ice, ice cream, frozen bait, microwavable sandwiches, and beach, camping and fishing supplies are available there.
LAUNDRY: Each bathhouse has washers and dryers.
RESTAURANT: Local restaurants: Stingray's, 3 miles north on Hwy 13; McDonalds, 6 miles north on Hwy 13; Hardees, 6.5 miles north on Hwy 13; Food Lion, 6 miles north on Hwy 13.
HISTORY: The site was purchased by the Virginia Ferry Corporation for the northern terminus of the Virginia Beach to Eastern Shore Ferry. In 1949, when the terminus was moved from Cape Charles, the site was named Kiptopeke Beach in honor of the younger brother of a king of the Accawmack Indians who had befriended early settlers to the area. Kiptopeke means Big Water. In 1950 the terminus opened after the completion of a $2.75 million pier, promoted as the world's largest and most modern ferry pier.
