Alerts & Conditions

The National Park Service is working service-wide with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, access to the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail is as follows:

Trail: By nature, the water trail is always open. Many public piers and access points remain open, but we strongly recommend calling ahead and following local health and safety orders.

Trail offices: Staff are working from home either partially or full time. Please contact us by emailing [e-mail] or by messaging us on Facebook or Instagram.

Visitor Centers:

• Historic Jamestowne: Buildings and grounds are open. Check the park website for closures. Masks are required inside the visitor center regardless of vaccination status.
• Zimmerman Center for Heritage: Building and grounds are open, check their Facebook for updates and events. Masks are required for non-vaccinated visitors.
• Sultana Education Foundation: Providing learning experiences virtually and some in-person public paddles. Learn more on their website.

Other locations: Before visiting any site along the trail or listed on this website we strongly recommend calling ahead or checking the site's website to confirm what services are available.

While some aspects of the trail are accessible for visitors to enjoy, a return to full operations will continue to be phased, and services may be limited. When paddling or hiking, please follow local area health orders and recreate responsibly by keeping social distance, wearing a face covering when indoors and outdoors when social distance cannot be maintained, avoiding high risk activities, and staying home if you feel sick.

The CDC has offered guidance to help people recreating in parks and open spaces prevent the spread of infectious diseases. We will continue to monitor all park functions to ensure that visitors adhere to CDC guidance for mitigating risks associated with the transmission of COVID-19 and take any additional steps necessary to protect public health.