We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the beach and other areas. Also be cautious of the speed limits in the park, as horses and bikers/runners are out and about in abundance. The horses aren't meant to be fed by humans as it increases their dependence on outside food sources away from their habitat. These are wild animals that can kick and bite, yet parents were encouraging their young children to get close to the animals for photos.
Please be cautioned though, the behavior we witnessed there was far below what the Rangers and normal people expect.
We continued on and much to my joy and my wife's shock, we found roughly 6-8 horses in that area.
A couple told us that there were often horse sightings at the end of the park's designation near the parking lot. Then we saw a crowd of people so we knew we'd be seeing something and one horse was grazing on the side of the road. As we drove for 5 minutes after entering the park officially (the pay station is a little further in past the visitor center over the bridge) we hadn't seen anything. Much to our dismay, the Rangers on duty said due to the season there was a good possibility we wouldn't see any horses due to hiding in the brush on the side of the road. The visitor center has several displays on the ecosystem, the horses, and conservation. We started at the visitor center to stamp our passports and browse the gift shop (above standards for NPS sites). We arrived around 11 in the afternoon to a windy and crowded parking lot, however it was roughly 65 degrees in late December. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Ocean City which was roughly 15 minutes from the entrance to the National Seashore. We were originally planning on doing this trip over the summer, but you could imagine (or maybe you can't) how much less expensive this was to do during the winter. We love visiting the National Park sites and I was intrigued by the possibility of seeing the wild horses. On summer weekends, the oversand vehicle capacity of 145 vehicles is usually reached by 9:30AM-so if you arrive later you might have to wait for quite awhile.After Christmas, my wife and I decided to get away for a night and settled on Assateague Island National Seashore. Do be very respectful of the environment and leave only footprints and douse your coals with seawater before you depart. People bring their dogs to swim in the ocean and are usually mindful of others. We bring wood to build bonfires, bring picnics and adult beverages and invite friends. Access over sand is for multiple miles down the length of the island if you are so inclined. I think it is a little pricey for a weeklong pass (about $15), so that might scare off a daytripper.
#ASSATEAGUE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE REVIEWS PLUS#
We much prefer the National Seashore and buy an annual pass for $30, plus another $90 annual Over Sand Vehicle pass to drive our 4WD SUV into the access area on the south end of the park. The National Seashore is adjacent to the State Park (same island, different jurisdiction) and is a bit more rustic (a few chemical toilets only). 611 for about 10 miles to Ocean City, MD. If you want hustle/bustle/boardwalk, you can drive north along Rte. In addition to one large parking area and a few smaller ones, if you have the right vehicle it is one of the few places in the US you can drive on the beach (it limits the amount of oversand vehicles to 145, then it's one-off, one-on). This barrier island beach with no buildings is the most pristine and least crowded we have been to anywhere from northern New Jersey to Virginia. We live in a condo in center city Philadelphia and bought a vacation home in Berlin, MD six years ago due in great part to its proximity to Assateague Island National Seashore.
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