Assateague Island National Seashore — Attraction in Berlin

We just went to Assateague Island for the first time. As a camping enthusiast who grew up on the Atlantic side of the US I wish I'd known about it sooner! Because Assateague Island is a wonderful place to find nature, wildlife and enjoy the outdoors.

We had to book about 6mo in advance to reserve 4 campsites. I'm not saying that's required but it was recommended to us. We had four couples, two stayed on the bayside, two on the beach side. Instead of regurgitating all of the info that will be similar to other reviewers I will offer the pros and cons of staying in each location as we swapped opportunities daily.

Water: Bayside is closer to calmer activities like wading, floating, swimming, kayaking or playing with kids who might be intimidated by the ocean. Literally one of the shore beaches close to us the water was less than 2ft. deep for about a half mile which the dogs and lazy people loved. Plus the water is much warmer! The ocean is fun and you can do all those things but it's cold and comes with more risk. If you really need to cool off the beach is probably better but for relaxing water sports we enjoyed bayside better.

Campsites: Bayside sites are much larger and offer more privacy. My brothers campsite could have probably held 10 tents and had its own canal access. Where our beach site only had room for one tent and one screen room with only small bushes to provide any privacy or cover. Our beach site was also located in the dunes section, not on the beach, just know if you're on the beach you will be fully exposed to everything. Bayside is closer to the on-site camp stores. If you need general supplies like ice, firewood, snacks, cold drinks, kayak rentals, etc, there are two locations in or near bayside. You have dedicated biking lanes. Now these do extend all the way to the beach but are more plentiful in bayside and you cannot take bikes on the beach (strangely only cars in the ORV section for a large fee).

Bugs: Bugs, and more bugs! Hey I get the reality of camping, being outside but Bayside really reminds you of the insect world. Don't even think of using that skin-tastic deet free spray, no way! We tried and even the most skin conscious person will be begging for pesticides. The beach side has less concentration of bugs because there is a constant breeze but apparently that doesnt bother biting flies because they remind you frequently, it's their territory! Also I left the tent door open to nap and chiggers messed up my world, so use caution..and..deet.

Heat: It was probably between 89-94 on the hottest days we were there but literally going to the beach instead of bayside netted a 6-10 degree drop in temperature. At the beach, embrace the wind or cold water if you need to cool off, because it's almost like you walked through a hot energy field coming back to the bayside. We drove our car at dusk to our uncle's bay site and the windows suddenly fogged upon crossing to it, no joke! Although make sure to lather up that sunblock on either side.

Animals: At Bayside locations we saw almost all the wildlife like turtles, snakes, birds, horseshoe crab and the famed horses. The only real wildlife we saw at the beach were gulls and a few sharks some guys caught fishing offshore. Honestly I expected to see alot more of the horses but we fell short. Luckily a few people used Darwinism to make sure we had a few good sightings of horse mayhem and campsite destruction. Lock up your food, it's a legit threat!

Overall your site may be determined by availability and the website won't help you with suggestive photos either. But hopefully some of the things I've outlined will help with your decision. Regardless if you enjoy the outdoors, Assateague Island will provide...

Assateague Island National Seashore is a dog friendly gem for beach lovers and campers. Seemingless endless soft sand beaches, back country camping, as well as ocean view sites in the sand dunes within 100 ft of parking.

Our family has done bay side camping in summer's past, and it was very muggy with lots of mosquitos. The last few times we've camped on the ocean side in the off-season (Nov & March), it was windy and cold in the evenings and at night. So either way, do your research and come prepared. Next time we might try oceanside camping in the summer, and bayside camping in the off-season.

We had had good horse encounters and some not so good. Heed the Ranger's warnings about storing food in your car and throwing garbage in the dumpsters, when meal time is over. Keep and eye out for horses heading in the direction of your campsite and act fast.

That said, it's a unique and memorable experience to camp so close to the ocean, to observe nature up close, and to have the beach as your playground only steps away. And for those that enjoy 4-wheeling and/or fishing, OSV (over-sand vehicle) annual permits are available from the Ranger's station. It allows you to drive on the beach all the way to the Virginia state line (conditions permitting). And is a great way to get some distance from other campers/beach goers.

Rangers are really nice and helpful, vault toilets are clean and well stocked with toilet paper. Cold showers are available all year round.

For EV owners, we could not find any destination chargers (or 30amp/50amp outlets) to plug into during our stay, but that would be a great addition. There are solar arrays, but I think those feed the Rangers station. There are plenty of Tesla superchargers at Royal Farms closer to Ocean City or on the way to Salisbury. There are a few EVSmart 50kw chargers between OC and Salisbury as well, but very...

Breathtaking! I was in town for a short trip for a wedding and when scrolling Google Maps to see what was in the area I came across Assateague Island National Seashore and the possibility of seeing wild horses hooked me! I’m in love visiting all National Parks and seashores and this one did not disappoint!

Our first stop was to the visitor center where the gave us a map and we asked some questions and purchased a few souvenirs.

We cruised through in a convertible and before we even made it to the gate to get in had already spotted wild horses along the road eating in the vegetation. On our first day we visited the north beach area and we were delighted to find a pack of horses napping in the sand as we walked along the shore. I could’ve watched them for days. They eventually woke up and headed toward the water before working their way up the beach. North Beach had bathrooms and a shop with beach goods and snacks.

The next day we drove through to see the campsites — it’s true beach camping here and I’d love the bring my family here to enjoy it someday. Then we headed down to south beach and we were delighted to see more horses. They even walked right down the boardwalk to get to the beach. The horses did approach some people on the beach and even checked out their wagon hoping to find some snacks.

We viewed from a safe distance per all the postings.

We took a walk toward the 4-wheel drive beach and saw lots of surfers enjoying the wake.

We rented kayaks one morning from the Assateague Outfitters located in the park. We paddled through the bay and spotted more horses in the banks enjoying the vegetation. We rented the kayaks for two hours and enjoyed the sites. The water is pretty shallow here so it makes it less intimidating for those new to kayaking.

We had a very relaxing time amongst nature...