Mount Trashmore Park

Mount Trashmore Park opened in the early 1970s. True to its namesake, two “mountains,” one 65-foot high and the other a bit smaller (aptly named Encore Hill), cover this former landfill. The park spans an area of 165 acres, and is easily the most frequented park in Virginia Beach. Mt. Trashmore contains a playground, a skate park, workout equipment, picnic shelters and an entertainment stage. Multiple daytime events are held here each year, mostly on weekends. It can get busy!  With that being said, this park also holds a decent variety of landscape and vegetation that is guaranteed to produce a nice array of birds year-round.

Mt. Trashmore has a couple of miles of trails. The multi-use trails, mostly paved, go around the lake, the perimeter of the park, and between the two hills. The main trail encompasses Lake Trashmore, which is a medium-sized freshwater lake. Depending on the time of year, the lake is enjoyed by a variety of ducks, gulls and terns. Part of the main trail, and an off-shoot to another trail, will take you to the back of Encore Hill and along a narrow portion of Thalia Creek, which feeds into neighboring Lake Windsor. Lake Windsor, another attractive lake for waterfowl, is visible from the back of the park and runs along South Blvd. Both the creek and Lake Windsor are brackish. At times both lakes and the creek are low enough to attract some of the more common shorebirds, like yellowlegs and sandpipers.

On the north side of the park there are water-wise gardens complimenting this eco-friendly park. Additionally, numerous varieties and sizes of both evergreen and deciduous trees stand throughout the park and along its borders, and are an inviting environment for passerines.  Smaller trees and thick, shrubby habitat along the South and East sides of the park and along the creek, provide protective habitat during migration. In the past, this area has hosted locally uncommon migrants such as Wilson’s, Canada, and Blackburnian Warblers, and Warbling Vireo, as well as a Townsend’s Warbler in the fall of 2020. Just beyond the South and East sides of the park are homes and office buildings, so the expected suburban species of birds are common in the park year-round. 

The best birding here will likely be in the early morning, before the park gets busy.

Accessibility: Mount Trashmore Park is located at 310 Edwin Drive. Parking is rarely an issue as there are a few good-sized parking lots on-site.  The park is open from sunrise to sunset and there are restroom facilities onsite. The trails are mostly flat and paved, with minimal obstacles, making this an easy walk and wheelchair accessible.

Owner/ManagerCity of Virginia Beach

eBird Hotspot: Mount Trashmore Park

—Lisa Rose, February 2021