Best Places to Fly
Your Drone in Virginia Beach

The 19-acre historic Great Bridge Locks Park is the go-to place on sunny days. The small peninsular has the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal on one side and the Elizabeth River on the other. This busy waterway is where people like to go and observe yachts and other river traffic. Camera drone pilots who like to record scenic landscapes, waterways, and boats have limitless choices. Other local attractions include fishing, crabbing, picnic areas, and scenic trails.

It's hard to find a more picturesque place to fly your drone. This location has 130 acres where people come to fish, swim, and picnic. Black Bay is to the West and the Altantic Ocean to the East. Just be careful not to fly in any of the designated Wilderness Areas that are all around this park.

This is a beautiful 100 acre park with river views. It has a well-designed disc golf course and plenty of wide open grass fields to take off and land from. The North Landing River opens up into a wide waterway where there's plenty of room to cruise up and down.

Oak Grove Lake Park is a scenic recreation space in Chesapeake, just off Volvo Parkway. There’s a serene lake here, surrounded by 65 acres of wetlands and dense hardwood forest. Another great thing about Oak Grove Lake Park is its fitness trail that’s open to ramblers, joggers, and cyclists. The trail runs the perimeter of the lake. It takes you into forested areas teeming with wildlife and opens to panoramic views of the water and surrounding landscape. Drones are welcome in the park providing users adhere to FAA regulations. There are several places to launch and land multirotor craft and record this incredible place from above.

There’s a special place in Virginia Beach called Stumpy Lake Natural Area. It’s a matured, 1422-acre park that’s indescribably beautiful. There’s an ADA-compliant raised overlook next to the majestic 278-acre tree-lined lake. Those who like walking can enjoy the short trails and take in the 970 acres of unspoiled dense forest land surrounding the water. Drone users interested in shooting nature are sure to get some remarkable footage at Stumpy Lake Natural Area.

You will need to get permission to fly here from the FAA. They will tell you the maximum height you are approved to fly at.

Some piers are as fascinating as bridges to film from the air. The seasonal Virginia Beach Fishing Pier is one of them. The structure’s olde-worlde appearance adds to its charm. It’s an ideal place for drone pilots to operate, but please be vigilant of people traffic. You can capture magnificent panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean from here. Remember to point the camera back toward the pier and along the Virginia shoreline for some epic footage.

This is a 217 acre wooded area with plenty of hiking trails. The woods are pretty thick so it may be hard especially for newer drone pilots to find suitable takeoff and landing locations. Part of this area is in controlled airspace. If you fly within the part that’s in controlled airspace, please make sure you get permission first.