Our first exploration took us to Hampton, VA. The boating and kayak launch site is located at Fox Hill Boat Ramp at 365 Dandy Point Rd in Hampton, VA. There is a great sized parking lot with several launch sites for boats, jet skis and a designated launch ramp for kayaks. So easy! By the launch site, there are porta-johns as well as a small bait and tackle shop. You will find parking near the ramp to unload and plenty of parking spots to leave your car while you are out adventuring!
It was time to load up our kayaks and set off into the Chesapeake Bay! We navigated around the larger boating docks. There were people on the shoreline fishing, but overall it was not crowded. It only took a few minutes of before we hit the open water. From there we could see the beached island, Factory Point, our intended destination for this short paddle. The island was packed on with many anchored boats and people spending their afternoons on the beach on the first end we passed. Our group decided to venture down to the other end of the island in hopes to avoid the crowds. We were met with a few other kayaks on the shore. As we paddled across the water to the far side of the island, we took in the beautiful scenery and nature surrounding us. There were a few boats passing through as approached the beach, but they maintained idle speeds through the “No Wake Zone”.
We reached the beach in about 28 minutes of leisurely paddling from the launch site which was only 1.33km in distance. We dragged our kayaks onto the beach - you want to make sure you do this far enough on the shore to account for the changing of the tides. You do not want your kayak to be swept away! We strolled down the isolated part of the island until we could not go any further looking for shells and such and then headed back. As we were walking, we noticed some signs on the dunes that read “Protect the dunes- cross at access point”. Turns out the island is also a nature preserve for bird nesting which was awesome to see!
We continued walking along the beach until we reached the dune access point. Here we were able to cross through the dunes opening to the other side of the island. We reached our destination! The dunes opened to a beautiful inlet where you can spend the afternoon swimming, enjoying the weather and relaxing in nature. It is a great spot for kids as well as adults to play, swim and chill.
All in all, this trip was a major success! The total distance was about 2.66km and took about 30 minutes each way - an hour of paddling total. Our group definitely plans on going back for more trips to this beach in the future!
