Sandy Bottom Nature Park

I truly enjoy going to this park. It is free and large. They have a playground, so we are always here with the 3 kids.
I enjoy the scenic views they have of the lakes, trees etc. There are many animal out there, different types of birds and sea creatures.
We have enjoyed fishing. All of their amenities like fishing, canoe, kayaking, paddle boat, camping, picnic, etc are reasonably price. I am yet to run across anything over $ 8-​$ 10 for an activity. This is a great spot to go to, to expose our families to nature and do family fun activities for a very cheap price.
Tip: Just make a day out of this park. Bring lunch from home and eat it after an activity at one of the sheltered picnic tables. The park is heavily wooded, so bring lots of bug sprays and beware of any ticks that may have latched on. You can also rent their shelters/​pavilion for group gatherings/​events.
Cons: Too many speed bumps (poor car, I feel like it’s going to give up on me.), not enough parking spaces (when in their peak season/​special events).

Large scenic place for a walk. I do wish they had a wall to block the traffic noises from the highway, but it is an escape in the middle of a city.

Got my new VA Visitor guide, saw this place in the guide and since it’s close to Farmington decided to go check it out as i have found out in the last year I have been here, that most parks in Hampton Roads are kinda bad. Ok… So much I had to list. I was there at 12 noon
1. Parking was unbelievabley bad for a park
2. Garbage cans bubbling over and trashy everywhere. Not one person there (either or Visitor was picking up their trash)
3. Got out of my car and after only 10 min, thought i was going to be mugged or shot at.
4. Made it back to my car to find a bunch of «not so nice» guys smoking pot and sitting on my car. Said «excuse me?» to them and they got off my car. So nice, no respect.
5. Too many speed bumps in places that they should not belong. Speed bump overkill. Motorcycles would have a hard time getting over some of them.
After this experience, I need to search for other parks «outside» of the Hampton roads area. Too scarey, not safe, and I can only imagine that police and park staff do not check often on this park, as people were in plain sight doing drugs. Not so nice. Don’t waste your time, as you’ll be disappointed.

This place is the best nature park I’ve ever been to! It is so absolutely GORGEOUS & 100% free! They have a lot of fun things to do (kayaking, canoeing, hiking, & a HUGE dog park)! I love taking my puppy on adventures and I’m never disappointed when I arrive here! They have a few different entrances and it’s never been too crowded for me or my family. There is a wonderful exhibit on the inside of the building. It had turtles, snakes, and a few other creatures. There is a lot of information inside as well. I love this place and will continue to come here!!!

It’s a beautiful park with nice trails. They also have a «visitors center» with the different leaves, bugs and animals you can find in the park. There was a lot of skeleton parts which was a tad morbid and skulls. There were snake skins with information on the 3 poisonous snakes found in the area: Copperhead, Cottonmouth and Rattle snake. They also had their stuffed bodies. Creepy but cool. Overall it’s a nice and beautiful park. I didn’t experience the excessive noise that others talked about.

I love to find places where we can walk, trails in close by areas that makes one feel like you’re not in the city anymore.
Although close to us we don’t go here enough and I seem to forget how pretty it is. With the lakes and trails around it, and now we just found out that there is also a playground by the entrence, which was the main reason for our last visit.
We had missed playtime at the my gym so we needed to take the daughter out. I wanted something new, something NOT in the neighborhood and found this. It was a nice, shaded playground. Swings and baby swings, lots of slides, a climbing wall. It does say from 5 — 12 but our daughter (who is 2) did great. we just kept her away from the bigger and harder things, just use common sense.
The lake makes a perfect backdrop for photography and portraits if you’re into that.

Friendly staff and awesome trails! You can also paddle boat for an hour for $ 4! I love going here for an outdoor workout.

Have visited this park twice and twice enjoyed the water. $ 4 to take a boat out? You can’t beat that!!! We traveled across to the other side and under the bridge. We have yet to explore the trails but we do enjoy the lake. I have proven to myself that I can get the boat down, drag it to the water, put it in the water and canoe with 2 children!!!
The park is clean, and the staff have provided me with nice helpful tips. I will be back in the fall to try a Yurt out. We were even there last time in time to see the snakes receive their dinner. Lovely.
Only thing I hate is how disgusting the life jackets are. I can see us purchasing our own just to avoid theirs. I am not sure they have ever been cleaned (if that’s possible) or even changed out over a certain period of time. I can only imagine what’s on or in them.
Still love the place and want to explore more. Picnic, playground and boating next time.

Love this park! My husband and I go running there once a week and I have to say it’s pretty challenging (considering its 3 miles). The scenery makes it worthwhile and each time we’ve gone we’ve seen multiple deer and rabbits. If your looking for a good nature trail this is the one!

Kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, and trails! Must I say more? This park is great! Renting boats are only 4 – 8 dollars an hour. They also have day rentals! Definitely one of my favorite parks in the area.

Located between I64 and Hampton Roads Center Parkway, this park is quite easy to get to. Parking was simple as there were ample spaces and the park was quite clean with not a single litter in sight. There were many people walking their dogs there and there was even a fenced area for dogs to play in. The structures within the park looked new and I also saw that many people rented boats today.

If you’ve been looking for an all-​encompassing park, then Sandy Bottom Nature Park (SBNP) is it. A 456-​acre environmental education and wildlife management facility, SBNP is located in Hampton, and it was turned from borrow pits and garbage dumps into this beautiful park. Back in 1952, they began mining sand, which left pits and turned into lakes. Years later, that area also became used as illegal dumping. In 1990, the City of Hampton was given the land from VDOT, and after hard work, SBNP was officially open in 1996. I love to hear stories such as this – it is important to fix what we have destroyed.
Here are the highlights:
* 10,000 square foot nature center
My boys and I really enjoyed the nature center, and I was impressed with all of the programs they have here at SBNP. You don’t often find a nature center at a free park.
* Campground
There are 9 individual primitive campsites and two group sites. They also have 4 yurts. Check out their website for pricing.
* Kayaking, canoeing, and paddle boats
They have two lakes: Crystal Lake and Sandy Bottom Lake. They have boats to rent and you can bring your own kayak and canoe. However, you must get a permit from the nature center. It is $ 35 for the year and they will give you a sticker. After August, the fee is prorated. If you’re only going once in a while, I would recommend renting; a two-​person kayak is $ 4 an hour.
* Fishing
You can fish from the pier next to the nature center or from renting a boat. Some of the fish you may find are Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Crappie and Catfish.
* Hiking and biking
According to the brochure, there are 12 miles of trails. The longest main trail, Trillium, is 3.3-miles long.
* Picnicking
There are five reservable picnic shelters throughout the park.
* Playground
* Restrooms
As you can see, there is something for everyone here at SBNP. Take advantage of this wonderful park, and bring your children if you have them. It is vital to teach them about nature so that the next generation can take better care of the earth.

I love taking my daughter to the little nature center here. The trails are fun to walk. There is a dog park. The bathrooms are especially clean.

A few short hikes over easy, flat terrain, with plenty of options for the whole family.
The Nature Center is staffed with friendly folks and holds several interesting and educational exhibits. A dog park with plenty of toys and obstacles for your pooch lies just behind it. Rent canoes and kayaks during your stay at the campground or in one of their yurt-​like cabins. Enjoy plenty of time watching the kids burn off energy at the large playground.
The trails can get a little muddy/​flooded when there’s been rain; there’s a tiny strip of land between lakes that is often closed off because of flooding. I think we’ve only hiked it once in all our times going because of this reason.
There’s a creepy abandoned «zoo» along one trail that looks like a horror movie waiting to happen, and the whole park is so close to the interstate you can see drivers’ faces as they go by. Luckily, the campground is a good distance away so you don’t constantly hear the whizz of traffic, but it’s not exactly the quietest of hiking locations.

I live right near by so I will bike there and ride the trials. But I end up stopping a lot to enjoy the beautiful views. I would say to watch out for snakes as I do see them but mainly near the water. The nature center is also really cool. There are picnic ground areas and indoor areas that c an be used for parties or meetings. Great way to get the employees out of the office and have some fun

All in all a really great outdoor resource for the residents and visitors of Hampton.
While not nearly as large as Newport News Park, Sandy Bottom packs a nice punch trail-​wise. While running today, I noticed that it looked like a couple of bridges had recently been built and wood chip mulch laid in spots that flood easily and along the Lake Trail.
The longest trail is 3.3 miles, but several shorter trails help add some variety if looking to go further. I enjoyed alternating between the Trillium and the Wetlands Trail (the Trillium being wooded and the Wetlands traversing through open wetland marshes).
A couple of negatives– much of the Trillium runs parallel to the interstate and you see and hear the interstate traffic. The last mile or so of that trail is covered in tree roots… to the point that most of my energy was devoted to watching where my feet landed.
I didn’t make it into the Nature Center, but it looked impressive and was open fairly early on a Sunday morning. I was surprised to see several groups of people out on the trails on a rainy morning.

Love Sandy bottom. Its in a good location off of Hampton Roads Center park way. You can picnic, kayak, canoe, paddle board and many more out door activities. Kayaking is about $ 4 for an hour and totally worth it. They also have play grounds and an indoor nature information center with some of the local insects, snakes and various other animals/​reptiles from around the lake/​park area. If you have little ones I totally recommend for a little outing.

Lots of great park in a small area. I mainly frequent the dog park. I enjoy the tree coverage and generally dry conditions. Usually a good number of dogs after work. Always a parking spot. I look forward to trying out the rest of the amenities come spring. They have paddle boats!

Beautiful in the Fall/​Winter time. I love this place. It is located in the Hampton area of Bethel off Big Bethel Road. Lots of family activities like canoeing, a nature trail, park, cabins etc. Deer are in the park and are very friendly. The problem with this place is urban development is closing in on this nature spot, I feel so bad for all the animals that are trapped in that area for it is surround on all sides by development. Because of that, I don’t recommend camping there because of the noise from nearby interstate 64 (that is the only reason why I give it 4 stars). However if you are looking for a great spot to spend the day with family and friends, this is it! Great for Kids!

Having some time before I needed to head to work, I found this Hampton Va park. Not the most tranquil of settings as the noise from the close by highway is always noticeable, but a pretty lake, walking trails, fishing pier and nature center are there for your enjoyment.
First thing that really caught my attention are the multiple well placed signs warning of the native Canebreak Rattlesnake that reside in the park. I appreciated the sign and decided I would rather visit inside the nature center where I can see this snake and several others inside a display instead of a chance meeting outdoors.
Everything seemed well maintained, and the nature center was enjoyable to visit. Nice informational display inside the nature center on the history of the park and its use as a wetlands.
I imagine during warmer weather this is a nice destination for local residents for boating, fishing, biking and hiking.