Enter your search query in the box below.

Big Island Virginia Map

Explore Big Island, Virginia, with this interactive street and satellite map.

This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.

Interactive Map of Big Island, Virginia

How to Use This Big Island, Virginia Map

This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for Big Island, Virginia. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of Virginia or beyond.

Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).

TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to Big Island.

Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.

Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.

City	Big Island
State	Virginia (VA)
County	Bedford County
Country	United States of America
Timezone	Eastern Time (America/New_York)

Latitude	37.533749
Longitude	-79.359754
Population	300
Density	140.7 /km²
Incorporated	N/A
ZIP Code	24526
Area Code	276
County Seat	Bedford
School District	Bedford County Public Schools

🌦 Goto Big Island Weather Page: Big Island, Virginia — Weather Warnings, Forecast, Radar, Satellite & Current Conditions

About Big Island, Virginia

Big Island is a locality in Bedford County, Virginia, United States. It is a small community with a population of 300. The population density is 140.7 people per km². Big Island is located at 37.5337°N, 79.3598°W. It observes the Eastern Time (America/New_York) timezone. ZIP code: 24526.

Big Island anchors itself firmly along the banks of the James River, where the water carves a deliberate path through the verdant, inland terrain. It lies 12.4 miles north-northwest of Forest, VA (from Forest, VA: bearing 342°T), and is situated 14.5 miles northwest of Lynchburg. Dense woodland presses close to the water’s edge, serving as a gateway to the George Washington National Forest that begins a mile from the center of Big Island. Sunlight filters through the canopy in thin, golden needles, illuminating the dust motes that dance above the forest floor. To the west, the distant silhouette of the Appalachian Mountains provides a permanent, hazy boundary against the sky, while nearby, the quiet topography of Harris Hollow catches the morning mist before it dissipates into the humid air.

Industrial history remains a tangible presence in the quiet rhythm of Big Island, where the legacy of paper manufacturing continues to shape the local economy. Workers move with a practiced, steady cadence, reflecting a heritage defined by the river’s power and the resilience of the surrounding timberlands. Those seeking the solitude of the outdoors frequently traverse the Piney Ridge Trail, which offers a vantage point over the shifting greens of the landscape. Even when the pace of life feels slow, the environment remains active, marked by the persistent flow of the James River and the occasional trek of a traveler heading toward the serene, secluded waters of Thrasher Lake.

Nearby Outdoor Places

George Washington National Forest (National Forest) — 1.1 mi, 010° N · 1.1M acres
Jefferson National Forest (National Forest) — 2.5 mi, 334° NW · 733k acres
James River Face Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 4.1 mi, 342° N · 8,849 acres
Thunder Ridge Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 5.3 mi, 283° W · 2,427 acres
Terrapin Mountain Overlook (Viewpoint) — 5.6 mi, 260° W
Old Mine Entrance (Historic Ruins) — 8.1 mi, 308° NW
Indian and Settler Conflict (Monument) — 8.1 mi, 327° NW
Padgett Obelisk (Public Artwork) — 8.5 mi, 324° NW
Otto Cline Powell monument (Monument) — 8.8 mi, 005° N
Peaks View Park (Local Park) — 10.5 mi, 137° SE
Natural Bridge State Park (State Park) — 11.2 mi, 307° NW
Bedford County (Monument) — 11.9 mi, 144° SE
Natural Bridge of Virginia (Attraction) — 12.0 mi, 303° NW
Caverns at Natural Bridge (Attraction) — 12.2 mi, 305° NW
Dinosaur Kingdom II (Attraction) — 12.2 mi, 309° NW
Thoresen Theatre (Theatre) — 12.3 mi, 123° SE
Riverside Park Historic Train Exhibit (Attraction) — 12.5 mi, 121° SE
E. C. Glass Civic Auditorium (Theatre) — 13.7 mi, 129° SE
Station House Museum (Museum) — 13.8 mi, 127° SE
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Human Rights (Museum) — 13.8 mi, 130° SE
Slave Quarters (Historic Ruins) — 13.9 mi, 157° SE
Mount Pleasant National Scenic Area (National Scenic Byway) — 14.0 mi, 031° NE
The Midtown Outdoor Art Gallery (Gallery) — 14.3 mi, 130° SE
The Up Front Gallery (Gallery) — 14.3 mi, 124° SE
The Ann White Academy Gallery (Gallery) — 14.3 mi, 124° SE
Short Hills Wildlife Management Area (State Conservation Area) — 15.3 mi, 319° NW
James River State Park (State Park) — 29.2 mi, 090° E
Big Levels National Game Refuge (National Conservation Area) — 30.7 mi, 031° NE · 12k acres
Appalachian National Scenic Trail (National Trail) — 31.5 mi, 039° NE · 110k acres
Shenandoah National Park (National Park) — 44.0 mi, 038° NE · 197k acres

Latest News: Big Island

Loading news…

World News

Loading news-world…

More World News