Southern Tip Bike & Hike Trail

About this route

The Southern Tip Bike & Hike Trail is a paved path at the southern end of Virginia's Eastern Shore, built on ground that Northampton County says was once the route of a railroad operation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists the trail at 4.91 miles and describes it as five miles of paved cycling one-way; the county puts it at approximately 5.0 miles total in one direction. The county marks the start at the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge visitor center parking lot, mile marker 0.0, and traces the route north 2.6 miles to Cedar Grove Drive, then another 2.4 miles to Capeville Drive, ending just south of Cape Center after crossing Townsend Drive. It runs in one direction rather than a loop, so returning to your car means covering the same ground again.

The county gives the built surface as ten feet of asphalt with two-foot shoulders on each side, fourteen feet in total. The Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission, quoted on the county page, describes the trail as offering scenic views and easy elevation and calls it good for all skill levels. The county also reports that at the May 2019 dedication of the trail's second phase, representatives of the Virginia Department of Health's Eastern Shore Health District were present to confirm the trail is ADA accessible. Bike repair stations and benches are dispersed along the route. Use is listed as walking and bikes, with horses, ATVs and golf carts not permitted. There are two constructed parking areas, the refuge visitor center at the southern end and Cedar Grove Drive 2.6 miles north, and only the refuge end has bathroom facilities.

A few things are worth planning around. The county describes the first 2.6-mile segment as running parallel to Route 13's northbound lanes, and says the trail crosses Townsend Drive before it ends. Neither FWS nor the county publishes anything about tree cover, shade or drinking water along the corridor. Restrooms are tied to the refuge welcome center, and FWS lists that visitor center as open only Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., so facilities outside those hours are not confirmed. FWS publishes hours of a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset for refuge roads and trails; no hours are published for the stretch of trail beyond the refuge. The southern end is worth extra time: FWS says the Butterfly Trail begins at the visitor center and leads to the Wildlife Trail, a 0.42-mile loop that passes a saltmarsh overlook and climbs a WWII bunker for a panoramic view, and a pollinator and native plant garden sits behind the visitor center. General entrance to the refuge is free.

Why this difficulty rating: The FWS trail card for the Southern Tip Bike & Hike Trail publishes only a trail length; it assigns no difficulty, route type or suitability rating. The "easy" value here rests on the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission text published on Northampton County's page, which describes the trail as "offering scenic views and easy elevation" and "good for all skill levels," together with the county's ten-foot asphalt surface on ground that was formerly a railroad route. The caveat is length rather than terrain: both agencies put the trail at about five miles in one direction, and it is not a loop, so a return trip covers the same distance again.

Highlights

• Ten-foot-wide asphalt tread with two-foot shoulders (fourteen feet total), on ground the county says was formerly a railroad route
• Northampton County reports Virginia Department of Health representatives confirmed the trail ADA accessible at its May 2019 dedication
• Bike repair stations and benches dispersed along the trail, per Northampton County
• Southern trailhead is the refuge visitor center parking lot, the county's mile marker 0.0, where parking and bathroom facilities are located
• From the visitor center, FWS's Butterfly Trail leads to the 0.42-mile Wildlife Trail loop, which passes a saltmarsh overlook and a WWII bunker overlook
• General entrance to the refuge is free, per FWS
• FWS reports some 439 bird species have been recorded on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, including osprey, American woodcock and saw-whet owls

Map and trailheads

Approximate locations for orientation only. Carry an offline map — cell service is unreliable on much of this network.

Know before you go

Route type

Point to point

Surfaces

Paved

Setting

Not yet verified

Amenities

Parking, Restrooms, Free

Parking

Two constructed parking areas. Northampton County marks the southern trailhead as the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge visitor center parking lot, trail mile marker 0.0, and states there are parking and bathroom facilities at the refuge welcome center. FWS gives the visitor center address as 32205 Seaside Road, Cape Charles, VA 23310, reached from Route 13 by heading east on Seaside Road (Rt 600) about 450 feet, then turning right onto the visitor center access road. A second constructed lot is at Cedar Grove Drive, 2.6 miles north along the trail, with no bathroom facilities. The planning commission text on the county page refers to a trailhead near Capeville Road at the northern end; no parking is described there.

Restrooms

Northampton County states there are parking and bathroom facilities at the refuge welcome center at the southern trailhead, and explicitly notes that the Cedar Grove Drive parking lot 2.6 miles north has no bathroom facilities. Because FWS lists the visitor center building as open only Friday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., restroom availability outside those hours is not confirmed by either agency.

Water

Not yet verified

Fees

FWS states "General entrance is free!" and Northampton County publishes the trail page under its Free Recreation section. A separate $10 fee applies to the refuge's Wise Point Boat Ramp, which is unrelated to trail use.

Permits

No permit is listed for walking or biking. FWS lists "Hiking on designated trails and roads" among permitted activities and states that general entrance is free. A separate $10 fee applies to the refuge's Wise Point Boat Ramp.

Hours

FWS lists refuge roads and trails as open daily, one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset. Those hours are published by the refuge for refuge roads and trails; neither FWS nor Northampton County publishes hours for the portion of the trail beyond the refuge. The refuge visitor center building, where the southern trailhead bathrooms are located, is listed as open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Dogs

Dogs allowed on leash

Accessibility

Northampton County reports that at the May 17, 2019 dedication of the trail's second phase, representatives of the Virginia Department of Health's Eastern Shore Health District were present to confirm the trail is ADA accessible. The county gives the built surface as ten feet of asphalt with two-foot shoulders, fourteen feet total. Parking and bathroom facilities are at the refuge welcome center at the southern trailhead; the Cedar Grove Drive lot has none. This trail is distinct from the refuge's Butterfly and Wildlife Trails, which FWS describes as flat, unimproved footpaths that can be navigated with a wheelchair but have some areas of uneven terrain; FWS also notes the overlook on top of the WWII bunker is reached by a staircase and will not be accessible to some visitors who use mobility assistive devices.

Stroller friendly

Not yet verified

Good with kids

Not yet verified

Seasonal notes

FWS lists refuge roads and trails as open daily, a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset, and publishes no seasonal closure for them. The refuge visitor center, and therefore the southern trailhead bathrooms, operates only Friday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Weather exposure

Not yet verified

Cell service

Not yet verified

Emergency

Not yet verified

Hazards and wildlife

• Northampton County describes the first 2.6-mile segment, from the refuge to Cedar Grove Drive, as running parallel to Route 13's northbound lanes
• The county states the trail crosses Townsend Drive near its northern end
• Shared use: the county lists the trail for walking and bikes on a ten-foot-wide paved tread
• The Cedar Grove Drive parking lot, 2.6 miles from the southern trailhead, has no bathroom facilities, per Northampton County
• Neither FWS nor the county lists drinking water along the trail
• FWS closes refuge roads and trails a half hour after sunset, and no official source describes lighting on the trail

FWS describes the refuge as having woodlands, grasslands and coastal wetlands, and reports that some 439 bird species have been recorded on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, including osprey, American woodcock and saw-whet owls. That figure is a regional count published by FWS, not a count for this trail. A pollinator and native plant garden sits behind the visitor center at the southern trailhead. Refuge rules prohibit feeding or harassing wildlife and collecting or disturbing plants and animals.

Read the Virginia wildlife and safety guide