This week in The Beach Report, blogger Katherine Jackson takes us on a serene trip to one of our natural areas for a look at Virginia Beach from yet another angle: the water.
Enjoy!
Virginia Beach’s Scenic Waterway
Kayaking and paddle boarding have skyrocketed in popularity in Virginia Beach, where miles of beaches provide access to the ocean. In addition, the Virginia Beach Scenic Waterway allows paddlers to explore the city’s rivers, creeks and marshlands. Dedicated in 1986, this twenty-eight-mile waterway runs from the north end of the city to the south, and can be entered at nineteen sites, including First Landing State Park and Carolanne Farms Park.
On a recent Saturday morning, we put a canoe into the waterway at the Dozier’s Bridge Canoe Launch on Princess Anne Road, approximately seven miles from the Virginia Beach oceanfront. From that point, the waterway leads south along Patterson Creek to West Neck Creek, the North Landing River and Back Bay. Heading north, the waterway leads into the Lynnhaven River and the Chesapeake Bay. Given enough time, boaters can paddle from the Chesapeake Bay to the North Carolina state line. We weren’t nearly that ambitious. We spent two and a half hours leisurely cruising three miles of the trail as it traverses lush green woods thick with evergreens, hardwoods and bald cypress trees. We saw wildflowers such as Trumpet Creeper with its brilliant red blossoms laced through branches overhanging the water, and we smelled swamp roses even before we saw their pink blooms. We found a blackberry vine, its fruit ripe and sweet this time of year. Red, blue and gray dragonflies flitted everywhere, touching down on the water and crossing the bow of the canoe. Since this is a part of the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail, we weren’t surprised to see a number of species including a swallow, a cardinal, and a woodpecker (along with evidence of a large population of his relatives nearby). I saw a hawk’s reflection in the water before I saw him soaring in the sky. A Great Blue Heron accompanied us down the waterway, landing on dead branches or the creek bank a hundred feet ahead of us, then taking flight each time we got close. We estimated its wingspan at seven feet. We also saw turtles sunning on a log, schools of tiny fish, and a beaver-downed tree. At one point, we came upon a canoe with two people who were fishing. “Whatcha catching?” I asked. “Anything,” the woman replied. “Got one,” she said, and pulled from the water a keeper line attached to their canoe. “Catfish,” she said. It looked about ten inches long. We also watched a snake swim across the waterway. It was too far away to identify, but a good reminder to be careful of poisonous copperheads and cottonmouth moccasins that live in this area. After we tied the canoe to a log on the bank, we ate sandwiches and watermelon while floating in the shade. An adult beverage might have been consumed. It was a peaceful retreat, another example of how easy it is to get away from it all, even in the middle of Virginia’s most populous city. If you don’t have a boat but are interested in exploring Virginia Beach’s water resources, local outfitters provide equipment, instruction and guided tours. Oakum Creek at Munden Point Park might be a good place to start. According to naturalist John Muir, “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” That goes for every paddle as well.
Photo credits: Katherine Jackson
