Assateague Island
Assateague Island is a barrier island located off the Delmarva coast. 37 miles in length, this narrow strip of land is the result of the wave action of the Atlantic Ocean gradually raising sand from the ocean floor. The Sinepuxent Bay separates Assateague Island from the eastern shore of Maryland. The west side of the island consists mostly of saltwater marshland, and the east side is miles of white sand beaches, separated from the interior of the island by large dunes (some of which are natural, most of which are manmade to protect the campsites from high tide).
Between the marshes, the bay, and the ocean, Assateague Island and the surrounding waters are veritably teeming with wildlife. Assateague is home to many species of birds, including egrets, osprey, and, of course, the lowly seagull. Surf fishing is popular, though the most common catches are dog sharks or skates. On the bay side, if you are patient and have a good supply of chicken necks for bait, you can go crabbing for the famous Maryland Blue Crab, a state delicacy (best when steamed with National Bohemian beer and Old Bay seasoning). Finally, the most famous species on the island, one thing that really sets it apart from other beaches, is the ponies.
Assateague Island is home to two large herds of wild horses. There are many theories as to how these once-domesticated animals got there. The popular legend is that some time in the 16th century, a Spanish galleon carrying live cargo shipwrecked off the coast of Maryland. A few horses managed to escape from the hold and swam to shore to found the herds of present-day ponies. A more likely theory is that the horses escaped from some of the first settlers who started farming Maryland's eastern peninsula, and swam across the bay to establish the Assateague herds.
Calling them "herds" is a misnomer, since the horses do not congregate in herds, but rather split themselves up into bands of 2-6 mares led by a stallion. The island evenly straddles the boundary between Maryland and Virginia, with a fence marking the boundary line, so the horses are arbitrarily classed into the Maryland herd or the Virginia herd, depending on which side of the fence they happen to reside. The Maryland herd is largely left alone, except to administer contraceptives to some of the mares (apparently the pony population is growing faster than the supply of marsh grass on which they subsist). The Virginia herd is also subjected to population control, but of a less medical variety. Every year in late July, the Chincoteague volunteer fire department (Chincoteague is a small inhabited island south of Assateague) holds the Pony Roundup. They go over to Assateague, round up as many ponies as they can, and swim the ponies across the channel back to Chincoteague. The young foals and yearlings, which can still be trained, are auctioned off. The wild adults are kept in corrals for a few days to give oodles of gawking tourists the opportunity to photograph them before the ponies are herded back across the channel to Assateague. There is a classic children's book called Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry that captures the excitement of the pony swim, as well as the mystique surrounding Assateague's ponies.
Having wild horses wander around the campground is a really memorable and exciting experience. It becomes rather less thrilling when traffic comes to a standstill on the one (rather narrow) road going to the island, because there's half a dozen SUVs parked in the center of the road, as a herd of camcorder-wielding yuppies crowds around an unperturbed pony contentedly munching marsh grass. The ponies are smaller than your average horse, and slightly shaggier (no nice, warm stables for this bunch), but otherwise, they look just like horses. So all that precious pony footage is just going to show a horse grazing. I wouldn't look for it on FOX's next installment of World's Wildest Videos.
One final word on the ponies – it is very important to remember that the Assateague ponies are wild animals, and thus, are unpredictable. The influx of tourists has led the ponies to seek edible handouts from humans, but you should never assume that a wild pony will behave like a tame domesticated horse. Often, in one of the aforementioned video-happy yuppie packs, there is at least one mother who tries to balance her toddler on a pony's back so Daddy can get the perfect shot to send home to Grandma. I cringe every time I see this happen. The ponies can and will bite hard enough to require stitches, and can administer a kick that will crack ribs (or your precious toddler's neck after he is thrown from the back of the frightened horse). Every year, there are horror stories of idiotic campers who get injured by a pony because they forgot this cardinal rule. The ponies are nice to watch, but keep your distance.
National Park Camping Facilities
All of the Virginia side of the island and most of the Maryland side is designated as the Assateague Island National Seashore, and is under the control of the National Park Service. A small portion of the Maryland end of the island belongs to the Assateague State Park, which, according to the National Park's literature, is basically an unsightly pimple on the topographical behind of Assateague that exists solely to aggravate the National Park Service. The NPS seems to feel this way because, in addition to providing camping facilities, a large portion of the National Park is dedicated to wildlife and habitat conservation. Contrary to these ecologically friendly motives, the State Park provides human-oriented luxuries like hot water, flushing toilets, lifeguards on the beach, and weekly sprayings for mosquitoes. The National Park offers none of these things.
In fact, the campground at the National Park is decidedly primitive. Restroom facilities consist solely of chemical pit toilets (much like the ubiquitous Port-A-John, only not so portable) and outdoor showers, cold water only. The park does not spray for bugs, so several species of biting insects proliferate. Mosquitoes are ever-present, but usually leave you alone after a few days in favor of fresher meat in the form of newly arrived campers. Deer flies are another common pest, small black flies that resemble ordinary houseflies, but administer a small bite that stings for a few minutes and itches for a few hours before subsiding. The worst offenders are the green-headed flies, nasty little buggers that measure about a half inch in length, easily distinguishable by their iridescent green heads. A green-headed fly does not do anything so innocuous as simply feasting on your blood, like the mosquitoes. These little bastards use their mandibles to forcefully tear out a small chunk of human flesh, leaving a painful, bloody welt that hurts for several days. Avoid them if at all possible.
Despite the bugs and the lack of modern conveniences, camping at Assateague is still a worthwhile experience. The park offers two types of campsites: oceanside and bayside. Bayside campsites are less desirable because the insects are more prevalent, the walk to the beach is longer, and the bay really reeks at low tide. Oceanside campsites come in two varieties - walk-up and drive-in. Setting up camp at a walk-up campsite entails parking your car in a small, specially designated lot, and trudging over about 100 feet of sand to pitch your tent at the site itself. Each walk-up campsite comes equipped with a sturdy picnic table and a fire-ring. The drive-in campsites consist of an immensely long asphalt pad, suitable for parking an RV or trailer. Though the NPS web site vehemently denies it, the last time I was at the campground, I was sure that I saw a few drive-up sites that came equipped with electrical and water hookups for RVs. Perhaps these particular sites are reserved for VIP guests.
Once upon a time, Assateague was a relatively undiscovered little corner of the world, a haven for die-hard tent campers and families in pop-up trailers who couldn't afford the motels in nearby Ocean City. However, in the last five years, there has been a sharp increase in the number of visitors in general, and especially the number of people driving RVs. Every morning, as the sun rises over the dunes, the air erupts with a cacophony of gas generators to power the air conditioning, electronics, microwaves, and other doodads in everyone's RVs. People park their 30-foot Winnebago in their campsite and sit in the air conditioning all day watching television, so that they can turn to each other every so often and say, "I'm so glad we decided to go camping." Don't be one of these people. They annoy the real campers.
The ranger station provides a lot of brochures and pamphlets about beach-camping in general and camping on Assateague in particular. Read them! Camping on Assateague requires a little know-how and some special equipment, and many people arrive there woefully unprepared. For example, you will need to purchase beach tent stakes (10-12" long and shaped like a wedge) instead of mountain tent stakes (4-5" metal rods), the default type of stakes included with a new tent. Otherwise, the breeze coming off the ocean will grant your tent the power of flight. You also need to "pony-proof" your campsite. The key to this concept is keeping all of your food locked up in your vehicle, including your cooler. Some campers think it's all right to leave their cooler sitting out, but the ponies have become quite adept at nosing open cooler latches and raiding the goodies inside. It is not enough to hide your cooler in your screenroom or tent. Canvas and mosquito netting do not provide much of a deterrent to a half-ton wild animal intent on getting some food. Every year, I see tents with suspiciously pony-sized holes in the walls, and a ravaged cooler inside.
The cost of camping at the park varies from year to year, and also depends on the type of site. At this time, sites cost $10-14 (USD) a night.
Activities on the Island
If you're looking for wholesome island-related activities, you should definitely visit the National Park's visitor's center, located on the mainland, right before the bridge to Assateague (there's only one way on and off the Maryland side of the island by automobile, so it's hard to miss). They offer a wide variety of guided activities for all age ranges. My personal favorite is a morning canoe trip through the salt marshes on the bay side of the island. They also offer all manner of nature walks, surf fishing lessons, crabbing expeditions, boating adventures, and the like. The activities are in constant rotation, so it's difficult to predict ahead of time what will be available during your visit. Some of the classes require a reasonably small fee for equipment rental, but most are free of charge. The park also has extensive, well-marked bicycle trails.
Of course, if the idea of "activities" and "vacation" just don't mix for you, there's nothing wrong with sitting out on the beach all day and doing nothing. People-watching can be a fine pastime.
The Area Surrounding Assateague
Most of the inhabitants of Maryland's eastern shore earn their living by fishing or farming, and the area around Assateague Island shows it. You can drive for miles without seeing anything but rows of corn. Perdue Chicken is headquartered in Salisbury, Maryland (about 50 miles from Assateague), so there are a fair number of chicken farms in the area, too. Roll up your car windows when you see one farther along the road - chicken dung can be quite pungent.
There are a few shops along the roads surrounding the Assateague area, mostly overpriced general stores catering to wealthier campers. Otherwise, you can do your shopping in the nearby town of Berlin, Maryland, home of a Food Lion, a few fast food places, and some smaller mom-and-pop type shops downtown. Berlin enjoyed a brief (and localized) period of fame as the filming location for Runaway Bride. The movie was a dud, but the town boasts some beautiful old architecture. If you're looking for some good antique shopping, downtown Berlin is worth a visit. If you're looking for a party, head elsewhere because everything in this sleepy little town shuts down at 8 PM.
For the party-going folks, there's always Maryland's favorite tourist trap, Ocean City, otherwise known as "the concrete pit." Ocean City's main strip is lined with neon-laden motels and hotels, and the city's biggest attraction is the boardwalk. The boardwalk is about two miles long, sporting fast food places, t-shirt shops, an amusement park, bars, and various touristy shops. During the day, the beach is very crowded, usually with young families. At night, the beach itself is closed, but the boardwalk remains open to cater to the needs of bored teenagers. For those of us who have already survived puberty, but aren't yet at the family-raising stage of life, Ocean City can be a real bore. Trust me, it's much better to stick to the island.
I've been camping at Assateague since I was just a wee one (over 20 years), so the source for the majority of my information is my own experience. However, I did double-check facts at these sites:
http://www.assateagueisland.com/
http://www.nps.gov/asis/
http://www.assateague.com/
Written as part of the U.S. National Parks and Monuments quest.