False Cape Natural Area Preserve is a 3,573-acre protected landscape in Virginia Beach occupying a narrow, largely undeveloped strip between the Atlantic Ocean and Back Bay near the North Carolina border. Among the Mid-Atlantic’s least disturbed coastal areas, it includes maritime forest, swamp forest, interdunal wetlands, and Back Bay marshes. These habitats support more than two dozen plant and animal species rare in Virginia, including southern species at the northern edge of their range, and provide an important stop for migratory birds in spring and fall. Covering the undeveloped parts of False Cape State Park, it was dedicated in 2002 and is managed with limited access to preserve its character.