Last weekend, I made a stop at Assateague Island on the way to a family vacation.
It wasn’t really supposed to be a big camping trip. I was already heading toward the coast, so I figured I might as well turn the drive into a little adventure and spend a night camping at Assateague instead of making the whole trip in one shot.
I’d been wanting to camp there for a while, mostly because it’s one of those places that’s a little different from the typical campground. You’re camping on a barrier island, right along the Atlantic, with the beach just a short walk from the campsite. You’re basically surrounded by sand, dunes and ocean, which makes the whole place feel a lot different than camping in the woods.
The wild horses are probably the first thing most people associate with Assateague, and it’s not just something you see on a sign. They really are everywhere. They wander through the island, including around the campground, roads and parking areas.
I ended up seeing several while I was there, which never really gets old. There’s something pretty cool about sitting around your campsite and having a wild horse casually walk through. You obviously have to give them their space, but seeing them just wandering around on their own is definitely one of the things that makes Assateague worth visiting.
The beach is pretty cool too. Essentially, you camp in the dunes, so the beach is just a few hundred feet away. I spent some time walking around and checking out the beach while I was there. It’s nice having the ocean right there without having to drive somewhere to get to it.
I only stayed one night, and I did get a pretty good storm during the night with a lot of wind and rain. It wasn’t exactly the best sleeping weather, but that’s part of camping sometimes. By morning, things had cleared up and it was time to pack everything back up and continue on with the trip.
I recommend anyone that wants a pretty unique experience to check out Assateague. It’s worth the trip!