Bayside Drive-in Campground — Hotel in Assateague Island

I tent camp on the national side of the island a few times a year, and it never disappoints. Just be aware, the national side has much more rustic accommodations and because of that it also has much less people (a major selling point to me). The bathroom facilities are port-a-potties, and they only have outdoor cold water showers. Many of the tent sites are walk-in sites which means you park your car at a lot and carry all your things into the site. I believe they do have some that you can park next to your site as well. I always camp on the beach though and that isn't an option at those sites. Each site comes with a firering and a picnic table. You are strongly encouraged to keep food in your car or a locked cooler because the ponies will open coolers and steal food. The stars at night are incredible! The wildlife and scenery during the day are breathtaking! The ponies are gorgeous. You can enjoy sqimming at the oceanside beach, or the bayside beach. The bayside has kayak and Stand up paddleboard rentals (I think between $15-20 per hour). The visitors center also offers nature programming for kids and adults throughout the island, be sure to stop-in before you cross the bridge and pick up a calendar of events. The park charges a $20 fee (per car) to enter but it is good for a whole week so if you are camping you can come and go as you please without having to pay another entrance fee. It's very important to bring bug spray because certain times of the year the flies and mosquitoes can be brutal. Lastly, if you have an R/V, or you want to camp closer to your car, or you prefer warm water bath houses - you might prefer the Maryland State campground side of the island; its more densely populated and attracts a more touristy clientele but it has those amenities. I personally prefer the quite and wildness of the national park...

First of all may i say, that generators are ruining the wildlife experience. You go to the shore, partly to hear the birds, and all I hear is the roar of generators from 6 AM to 10 PM at night - why do these people go camping? Pit toilets, showers that are a little frightening to look at, but they function and are cleaned daily . I should specify this is at the Bayside campsites. Today I looked at the Oceanside, and they have very nice toilets and shower brand new it looks like. Lots of space between the sites that doesn’t help the generator noise. Some of the sites look out over the bay others do not. Some of them are quite large. In general, I wish the national park service would do away with this generous allotment of time for people to run those machines. Thank you for listening to me vent! I enjoy the ponies. I have to leave my campsite to hear the birds. There’s plenty of space to walk your dog and you can take your dog on the beach on a leash. There are certain...

Horse lover paradise! We had a great time in loop A Bayside campground. The wild ponies greeted us every morning with their pursuit of food at our picnic table or water guarding tactics at the water pump. It was a constant battle to stay 40 feet away from them. The site was perfect besides the loud predator generator of our neighboring site. If you want a generator free experience, Loop B is the better option. The ocean beach and bay beach are both within walking distance. The mosquitos were as expected from any camping experience we have had previously. But the "no-see-um's" would go through our pop up camper mesh windows and awaken us promptly at 5am with their biting. Wearing long lasting bug spray with deet worked the best to keep them away. This was a trip we will never forget and was an amazing deal. We plan to come back...