Wildlife Loop Road at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

Virginia Hiking Trails main page

Length: 3 mile loop
Time: 2-3 hours (walk), 1 hour (bike). Includes time to view the wildlife.
Difficulty: Easy

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge trail map (click to enlarge)

The Wildlife Loop Road at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is not a trail but a paved vehicle road. However, before 3 PM each day it is only open to hikers and bikers. Even after 3 PM the traffic is not heavy and it is slow moving, so the Wildlife Loop Road is still a fairly safe road to walk or bike.

Most people access the trail either by car or bike. During the summer months, the temperatures on the asphalt surface make it difficult for those walking the road. There is no shade at any point.

Cars must access the road from a parking area off of Beach Road, the main road through the park. Signs along the road point the way. The entrance gate is located at one end of the parking lot. Bikers and hikers can access the road from the parking lot as well, or from the Black Duck Trail located on the west side of the loop. The closest parking area to the Black Duck Trail is at the Woodland Trail.

The Wildlife Loop Road is hands down the best place to see birds at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. For avid photographers and bird watchers, be sure to have the proper lenses and binoculars to view wildlife at long distances. While some birds can be found in the marsh right along the road, most are located far from the nearest viewing area. The road makes a giant loop, so there is a lot of open space within the boundaries of the road. Also, while the park trail map shows the interior area—the Snow Goose Pool—to be a lake, it is really a marsh. Depending on the water level, you may barely even see water.

The following are some of the wildlife photos I was able to get with a 200mm lens, which is barely suitable for photographing the birds closest to the road (the photos you see here are cropped from the original wider views). Those really into wildlife photography need a minimum of a 400mm lens, and the bigger the better.