sandy bottom nature park

We ran here on a visit to area. The trails are fairly nice but nothing real long. The longest trail is 3.3 miles but you can connect some and make bigger loops. It is very flat and not enough single track for me but being this close to the ocean I was happy with what we found. The nature center has some cool snakes as well. The chief ranger was very helpful.

Had a great day at this park over the weekend for a birthday party. There were lots of things to do and we really enjoyed the views, the cleanliness, the bathroom facilities, and trails. We look forward to coming back next month to go on the trails and probably have a picnic in one of the many provided picnic areas. We also want to try out fishing and paddle-boating. They also have life jackets provided, which is a plus. We are glad we were invited to and visited this hidden gem for outsiders. I would come back just for the views.

Learn about snakes and their environments. Enjoy the many trails, camp grounds and picnic areas. Visit the visitor center to view the snakes and other animals and get maps for the various trails.

Pleasantly surprised with this park of the freeway. Quite and clean great scenery, the little museum is nice as well, would def recommend to families, couples or solo.

We go here all year round, it's good for kids and families. My husband likes to run round the trails, I would recommend not doing this in the winter however as raised water levels often flood the park in winter.

Sandy Bottom has the best dog park on the peninsula. Dogs are REQUIRED to "have a membership" which is $10 for the first dog and $5 for the rest in your family. You have to present the park people with proof of vaccinations, pay the fee (good for a year) and always have the tag on their collar. Park people WILL come out periodically and check to be sure those in the park have tags on their dogs and will kick those who do not out. The dog park is one large fenced area fully shaded and does have a doggy water fountain. The running/walking trails are superb! There are trails of various lengths that go around the lake and/or the entire property. I highly recommend this park. Pavilions, camp sites are available to rent at extremely reasonable costs....I've seen family reunions, bday parties and other events being held under the pavilions.

I liked the small museum thing. I loved the camping bungalows right on the lake. I loved the cheap, easy boat renting and good fishing. Did not like the pier fishing. Sucked. Put some fish underneath your fishing pier!

For being located next to the freeway in the middle of Newport News, this is a nice place for a (reasonably) quiet walk with the spouse or dog (even both!). It is not exactly a wilderness walk but there may be a deer or two and is not overrun with people. We go here a few times a year. The dog enjoys the dog compound.

Nice park that offers a variety of activity. We walked around the lake, but there were paddle boats, fishing, picnic areas, and camping areas that we saw. There is also a nice visitor center.

Sandy bottom is a great place to bring your children or grandchildren. They have static exhibits and educational hands on experience with wildlife. They have a fishing pier and rental boats available. This is a small lake that contains bass and brim. Good for younguns to learn what fishing is all about in a controlled environment. There are also nature walks you can take and guided tours if you prefer. Pretty neat place.

It's a great place to come for a few hours... Walk the trails, go canoeing, bring the kids! We thought so too. Bee here a hundred times, but never camped. We usually camp away from home at KOAs or State Parks. Never had a bad experience camping EVER! And we go several times a year. That all changed tonight! We thought we had a good idea having a last minute idea to go camping. We saw the weather and it was perfect. We didn't have the whole weekend just one night so we decided to pack up the kids and stay local. We remembered Sandy Bottom from the several great outing we have had here on short day trips. However, this has turned into a nightmare. 1st you can't drive to the campsite. It's 3/4 of a mile to the sites from the parking lot which is ok during a day hike, but we had 5 kids and all of their stuff along with coolers, food, tents you know camp stuff. So we found a nice after hours attendant who said we could switch to a Yurt (cabin tent). It was cute so we agreed. We got settled in and started cooking. Some friends were going to come picnic with us for an hour or so which was great! Not!!! They were asked to leave as soon as they pulled up. They said only camping residents and guests. Well I guess they weren't considered guests... It's not like it was late at night... It was 6:30! Next we had brought a bottle of wine. The lady who kicked out our friends for wanting a hamburger made us pour out the wine. It was 1 bottle! For 4 adults! Then she called is an alcohol incident! About an hour later she came back and this time with another male park ranger who said with a smirk and condescending attitude I just wanted to make sure we were clear you couldn't have alcohol here! When we tried to explain we didn't know and it was only one bottle of wine not a keg of beer, he snickered and got a little upset saying it's against the law and we won't have that here! We then had to speak up and tell them that I was a 16 year police veteran and my wife is still a police officer and we had never heard of such a thing. Then oh yes not the end... They drove through camp several more times shinning lights on our "Yurt" not like at other camps where they are checking on you. No this was if we were trouble makers and we were going to cause a problem. With our 5 kids all under 9 who have to be in bed by 10. Oh and that leads me to my last gripe, no fires, lights, or sound after 10. That's right the fire has to be completely out and you have to be in your tent or you will get harassed! So please come here for a day hike or a canoe trip BUT DONT CAMP HERE!

What a wonderful park to take the family as well as the family dog! Great trails for the casual walker or the person on a mission! Trails are clearly marked but you still feel like you are in the forest in Hunger Games! lol. My kids (15,13,9) really enjoyed walking the trails, throwing rocks into the lake, counting the turtles and just feeling free to be kids! The park does offer kayak rentals, paddle boat rentals, campsites as well as yurts! We packed a picnic and enjoyed a quite lunch by the lake with a beautiful view. There are picnic tables and pavilions. The nature center is small but young children would certainly enjoy it. At the nature center there are nature bags you can rent for small children to really enjoy the walk, a few of the items in the bag are binoculars, bird book, small bug net, magnifying glass and other items. All in all a great place to take the entire family! Don't forget the bug spray, bottled water and a bowl for Fido's water!

Sandy Bottom is a great place to bring the family (including your four legged family members). There are always well behaved dogs on the walking trails ( as well as in the doggy park). The trails are well marked and there is info available along the trails that allow you to learn more about Sandy Bottom and the wildlife and plantlife there. I have also ran here quite a few times and the trails make for an enjoyable jog. There is fishing allowed in one of the lakes for the fishermen out there as well.

Sandy Bottom has a long history and has turned into a wonderful park in the middle of urban sprawl. It has lakes, trails, fishing, paddle boats and canoes, camping, picnicing, a nature museum and much more. It is a great place to geocache as it has about ten inside the park as well as many more within a mile of the gate.

They have boats and paddleboats that you can rent for a pretty cheap price. Huge pond/lake with lots of fish and turtles.