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Assateague Island National Seashore

, Maryland and Virginia

NPCA REGION: Mid-Atlantic Regional Office

Acreage: 39,726.75

Category: National Seashore

Date Established: 09/21/1965

More Info: http://www.nps.gov/asis

Assateague Island is a narrow strip of sand – in most places not more than a mile or two wide – that lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia. The entire island is publicly-owned: the northern half as Assateague Island National Seashore and Assateague State Park, and the southern half as Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. No roads connect the two halves, but there’s an abundance of things to do and see whether you decide to enter from Maryland or Virginia!

—Laura Connors, NPCA

Laura Recommends

View (from a safe distance, please!) the wild ponies that inspired Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague. Herds can be seen from the Maryland or Virginia entrances. And for fans of the book, there’s a monument to Henry and Misty on Chincoteague Island not too far from the Virginia entrance to the National Wildlife Refuge.
Go for a stroll. There are several short and easy trails whether you enter the island from Maryland or Virginia. Interpretive markers along the way describe barrier island geology and the animals and plants that make this place home.
Pitch a tent. The Maryland side of the island has several great campgrounds that can accommodate anything from tents to RVs. If you like getting off the beaten trail, backcountry camping is also available. Just make sure to remember the bug spray!
Watch the waves and soak up the sun. As a Virginia native, I may be biased, but I think Assateague Island offers some of the most beautiful sandy beaches you’ll see anywhere!
Get out the binoculars. Assateague Island offers up some truly fantastic birding. Visit in the winter for huge flocks of snow geese and other wintering waterfowl, or in the summer for a wide variety of shorebirds. It’s on the Atlantic Flyway, so spring and fall are busy for the birds, too.

Threats

According to NPCA's Center for State of the Parks assessment in 2007, key problems at Assateague include:

Contamination of bayside waters from nutrient-laden runoff from agriculture and residential development on the mainland;
Overgrazing by non-native feral horses and sika deer, which disrupts fragile island soils, interferes with dune formation, and reduces habitat for native species; and,
Heavy demand for over-sand vehicle (OSV) use, which harms Assateague’s beach habitats for both resident and migratory wildlife.

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Comments

We stay two weeks in May and one in October in Ocean City, but spend almost all of our time on Assateague. For a birding treat, visit the first two weeks in May. Watch the black bellied plover pluck his winter plumage out to turn black bellied before your eyes. Soon the tricolored herons will dance for you as they fish. The little blue herons and the great egrets arrive in a flock. the snowy egrets don't seem to appear that first day, but do the next; they must fly in with the rest of the egret/herons. Watch for the apricot rump of motehr killdeer and he babies are somewhere near. On the beach side on a nice day the osprey and eagles fly. Brown peolican usually come up a bit later; we usually miss them. Look for the osprey nest on the green buoy as you go over the bridge onto the island. She is not always easy to see, but the nest has been used actively for the 26 years we have been to the island. Bayside again, you'l catch the flash of orange bills and can then find the oyster catachers. With patience, you can find all of the common and abundant birds on the birdlist you can pick up at the Visitor's Center. And they there are the accidental treats. Hopefully there may have been a storm shortly before your visit. My two most exicting accidental sightings have been a red knecked phalarope and an ivoty gull. They don't show up every year; they were blown off course. For pony lovers, search for the babies. They may lie down in the middle of the road and their herd stands guard while you wait a long time for them to move on. In the fall, the real excitem;ent is with the ponies. The bachelors are ready to cut out mares from the stallions'herds. They had been bachelors all summer, but do not plan to spend the winter alone. If you will spend 30-45 minutes watching, you will see the stragizing of both the their and the head stallion. You will also see the lady indicate whenter she wants to stay or to leave with a mate. And in the fall, be ready as you drive for thundering hooves sounding closer and closer. Stop your car and watch a young male pony streak across the road. Stay stil. Don't drive on. In a minute or two the chasing stallion will cross. Then it is safe to drive on. Needless to say, we love the island. The salt marshes are ever beautiful. The beach comes and goes with the tide and the dunes have a life of their own.

Submitted by tricolored heron at: September 23, 2009

I went in April and it was beautiful. A first time surreal experience with a night full of stars, 50 degree air, and just listening to the waves crash. A big difference from enjoying the beach at a crowded beach town. However, I went over Labor day weekend and backpacked. The mosquitos were horrible. It ruined my camping trip and stayed in the tent to protect myself. If you go, make sure it is early spring, or fall. Watch out in summer time.

Submitted by Jackstraw at: September 12, 2009

I really want visit this beautiful island but not yet my dad says pretty soon we we'll be able to go. i have my own horses and i can't wait to see wild ones it's going to be so fun!

Submitted by Daisydoglover at: July 4, 2009

As a native of the West Coast, Assateague held several firsts for me: wild horses & ponies on the beach, and incredible sunrises over the ocean! We backcountry camped and saw a red fox (the only marsupial in North America!), toasted s'mores & enjoyed great sunsets & sunrises from our oceanside camp site.

Submitted by bmason at: May 26, 2009

I just got back from this beautiful park! The best time to go is really after Labor Day. Less people and no mosquitoes! And hardly any traffic on the island roads--something the ponies appreciated, I'm sure!

Submitted by tmcintire at: September 24, 2008