We are on another trip! We are headed to Cape Charles Virginia but on the way we stopped at Assateage National Park for a night. Assateage is a barrier island off the coast of Maryland and Virginia. The island has the Atlantic Ocean on the East side and the Chesapeake Bay on the West. There are herds of wild horses on the island that have been around since the 1700’s. Maryland has a State Park on the island and to the South is a National Park. As we crossed the Verrazano Bridge to enter the island, we saw horses grazing in the marsh. It was exciting to see the horses because it’s a big island and I was worried about seeing the horses. My fears were unfounded as we saw the horses quite a bit. A note about the horses, they are Wild animals and react like wild animals. If you get to close they will bite or kick you. They have trampled tents to get to people’s food. I saw people try to get close to the horses for pictures including letting their children try to approach these wild animals not a smart idea! You can make reservations for Assateage at https://www.recreation.gov. You have to pay an entrance fee at the entrance which is good for a week. Then you go to a building immediately on the right to check in for your campsite. We had made reservations for the Bayside, however when we arrived they had Oceanside sites available.
The lady that was checking us in was very helpful on picking a site and I think we got one of the best ones! The sites are paved and you may not have to do any leveling at all. There is a picnic table and fire ring like most campgrounds. Our campsite was a mix of sand and grass surrounded by bushes. One note, there are NO hookups, there is a tank dump site that has a potable water faucet close by. This is where a portable dump tank is helpful along with water jugs or bladders. Most sites allow generators during the day from 7am to 10pm (I think check to be sure) but some do not allow generators. Pets must be on a leash and are allowed on the beach except in certain areas. I don’t believe that pets are allowed in the Virginia portion at all, including in your car. When you read about Assateage you read a lot about bugs, we must have been lucky because we had none. We only stayed one night here but we are already planning a return visit.
