# Virginia’s Eastern Shore and the Bay Bridge-Tunnel

> 3-day road trip of about 246 km (153 mi) with 9 stops, from Ocean City to Virginia Beach. About 2 h 44 min of driving in total.

Source: https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b10-eastern-shore-va/

**At a glance:** 3-day road trip of about 246 km (153 mi) with 9 stops, from Ocean City to Virginia Beach. About 2 h 44 min of driving in total. Wild ponies at Chincoteague, sleepy harbor towns and a 17-mile crossing of the Chesapeake Bay.

| | |
|---|---|
| Distance | 246 km (153 mi) |
| Driving | 2 h 44 min |
| Suggested days | 3 |
| Stops | 9 |
| Route | Ocean City → Virginia Beach |
| States | MD, VA |
| Updated | May 4, 2026 |

## Route description

From Ocean City, Maryland, head south on US-113 and US-13 to the causeway to Chincoteague. The wildlife refuge on neighboring Assateague Island has the Assateague Lighthouse, a loop road past marshes full of herons, and the wild ponies that swim the channel each July.

On the way back to the mainland, stop at NASA’s Wallops visitor center, then follow US-13 south down the narrow peninsula. Detour west to Onancock, a quiet harbor town on a creek off the Chesapeake, and later to Cape Charles, an old railroad town with a public bay beach and good sunsets.

At the southern tip, Kiptopeke State Park has a breakwater of sunken concrete ships and fall bird migration. Then comes the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, 17 miles of trestles and two tunnels under the shipping lanes; there is a toll, and very high winds can close it to trailers and RVs.

Land near First Landing State Park, where the Jamestown settlers first came ashore, and finish in Virginia Beach. Spring and fall are ideal; summer mosquitoes on the Eastern Shore can be fierce.

## Stop-by-stop itinerary

1. **Ocean City** (MD)
2. **Chincoteague** (VA)
3. **Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge** (Chincoteague, VA): The Virginia end of Assateague Island, with the red-and-white Assateague Lighthouse, a wildlife loop and the famous wild ponies in the marsh.
4. **NASA Wallops Visitor Center** (Wallops Island, VA): A small space museum at NASA’s rocket launch base on the Eastern Shore. Check the launch schedule; night launches are visible from Chincoteague.
5. **Onancock** (VA)
6. **Cape Charles** (VA)
7. **Kiptopeke State Park** (Cape Charles, VA): A bayside park where a line of sunken concrete ships from World War II forms a breakwater. A key stop for migrating hawks and songbirds in fall.
8. **First Landing State Park** (Virginia Beach, VA): Cypress swamps, maritime forest and a bay beach where the Jamestown colonists first landed in 1607. The large campground is close to the beach.
9. **Virginia Beach** (VA)