Assateague Island National Seashore
Want to live on the edge? Visit a place recreated each day by ocean wind and waves. Life on Assateague Island has adapted to an existence on the move. Explore sandy beaches, salt marshes, maritime forests and coastal bays. Rest, relax, recreate and enjoy some time on the edge of the continent.
Alerts
- InformationOSV Status
10/13/26 MD OSV open to the State Line. VA South OSV is open. Beware of overwash conditions at high tides. The VA North OSV fishing mile is closed.
Fees & passes
| Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Private VehicleAssateague 7 day vehicle pass. | $25 | |
| MotorcycleValid for 7 days. Admits up to 2 private, non-commercial motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers. | $20 | |
| Per PersonAssateague per person walk-in or bicycle | Free | |
| Passes | ||
| Annual Entrance - ParkThe Assateague Island National Seashore Annual Park Entrance Pass is $45.00. It is valid in both the Maryland District and Virginia District (Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge). | $45 | |
Hours
| Assateague Island National Seashore - Maryland District | Daily · All Day |
| Assateague Island National Seashore - Virginia District | Daily · 5:00AM - 10:00PM |
Assateague Island National Seashore - Virginia District: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hours | 5:00AM - 10:00PM |
| Oct 1 to Oct 31, 2026NowFall Hours | 6:00AM - 8:00PM |
| Nov 1, 2026 to Mar 8, 2027Winter Hours | 6:00AM - 6:00PM |
| Mar 9 to Apr 30, 2027Spring Hours | 6:00AM - 8:00PM |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Campgrounds
| Oceanside Drive-in Campground | 16 sites | |
| $40 a night · Open year round · 16 reservable | ||
| Bayside Drive-in Campground | 22 sites | |
| $40 a night · Open year round · 22 reservable | ||
| Oceanside Walk-in campground | 62 sites | |
| $40 a night · Tents only. Open seasonally from March 15 through November 15. · 21 reservable | ||
| Oceanside Group Campground | 5 sites | |
| $80 a night · Open year round for group camping · 5 reservable | ||
| Horse camping | 2 sites | |
| $80 a night · Seasonal camping from October 15 through April 14 · 2 reservable | ||
Show all 11 campgroundsHide
| Back Country Camping - Pine Tree ↗ | 1 site | |
| $10 a night · Primitive back country site. Open year round. Closures are subject to weather conditions and hunting seasons. · 1 first-come | ||
| Back Country Camping - Tingles Island ↗ | 1 site | |
| $10 a night · Open year round. Closures are subject to weather conditions and hunting seasons. · 1 first-come | ||
| Back Country Camping - Green Run ↗ | 1 site | |
| $10 a night · Open year round. Closures are subject to weather conditions and hunting seasons · 1 reservable, 1 first-come | ||
| Back Country Camping - Pope Bay ↗ | 1 site | |
| $10 a night · Open year round. Closures are subject to weather conditions and hunting seasons. Back Country Camping Permit · 1 reservable, 1 first-come | ||
| Back Country Camping - Little Levels ↗ | 1 site | |
| $10 a night · Open year round. Closures are subject to weather conditions and hunting seasons. · 1 first-come | ||
| Back Country Camping - State Line ↗ | 1 site | |
| $10 a night · Open year round. Closures are subject to weather conditions and hunting seasons. · 1 first-come | ||
Every campground here has its own page on Campsite Atlas, with site counts, hookups, rig limits and booking windows. All of them on one page → How park camping works
Visitor centers
- Assateague Island Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
The Assateague Island Visitor Center is located in the Maryland District of Assateague Island before the Verrazzano Bridge entrance into the park. The Assateague Island Visitor Center is open daily from 9 am - 4 pm.
- Herbert H. Bateman Educational and Administrative Center ↗Passport stamp
The Herbert H. Bateman Educational and Administrative Center is located in the Virginia District within the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.
- Maryland District Ranger Contact Station & Campground Office
Offers campground information and registration, backcountry camping permits, hunting information, entrance passes and over-sand vehicle permits.
Explore
Things to do
- Ranger-Led Programs at Assateague
A variety of ranger guided programs are available to encourage visitors of all ages to enjoy and learn more about the barrier island environment.
Opens on the Park Service site - Surf Fishing on Assateague
Grab your fishing pole and get comfortable on the beach! Surf fishing is an activity that is not only fun and relaxing, but also has the potential of producing your dinner for the night! Spring, summer and fall are the recommended times of the year…
Opens on the Park Service site - Bird at Toms Cove
The Virginia district of Assateague Island lies within the Atlantic Flyway, providing excellent birding opportunities year-round.
Opens on the Park Service site - See the Wild Horses in the Maryland district
View the wild horses of Assateague Island National Seashore. The wild horses are free roaming and spend time in the various habitats on the island.
Opens on the Park Service site - See the Wild Horses in the Virginia District
Assateague Island is well known for the famous wild horses who call the island home. In the Virginia district, the wild horses are commonly referred to as “Chincoteague Ponies”.
Opens on the Park Service site - Crabbing at Assateague Island
Who doesn’t love to eat a blue crab? After all, the literal translation of this Latin name (Callinectes sapidus) is the beautiful (calli) swimmer (nectes) that is savory (sapidus). Crabbing is a great activity for the entire family regardless of age.
Opens on the Park Service site
News
- Assateague Island National Seashore to Begin $2.5 Million Water Line Project to Improve Visitor Experience ↗2026-09-20
Assateague Island National Seashore today announced it will begin a $2.5 million water line replacement project in mid-October to upgrade essential water infrastructure in developed areas of the park’s Maryland Unit.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Mansion HouseBuilding · Public Landing · 6.8 mi
- Nun's GreenBuilding · Snow Hill · 9.1 mi
- Captain Timothy Hill HouseBuilding · Chincoteague Island · 9.5 mi
- James Martin HouseBuilding · Snow Hill · 11.3 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for Assateague Island National Seashore and the Mid-Atlantic
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBald Eagle 3× · Eastern Fox Squirrel 3× · Lesser Yellowlegs 2× · Peregrine Falcon 2× · Brown Pelican 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 310 birds, 53 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barn Owl · Black Vulture · Broad-winged Hawk · Cooper's Hawk · Eastern-Screech Owl · Golden Eagle · Great Horned Owl · Long-eared Owl · Merlin · Northern Harrier · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Osprey · Peregrine Falcon · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Short-eared Owl · Turkey Vulture · snowy owl
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Bittern · American Black Duck · American Coot · American Wigeon · Black Rail · Black-crowned Night-Heron · Blue-winged Teal · Brown Pelican · Bufflehead · Canada Goose · Cattle Egret · Clapper Rail · Common Goldeneye · Common Loon · Common Merganser · Double-crested Cormorant · Eurasian Wigeon · Glossy Ibis · Great Blue Heron · Great Cormorant · Great Egret · Greater Scaup · Green Heron · Green-winged Teal · Harlequin Duck · Hooded Merganser · Horned Grebe · King Rail · Least Bittern · Least Grebe · Lesser Scaup · Little Blue Heron · Long-tailed Duck · Mute Swan · Northern Pintail · Pied-billed Grebe · Red-Neck Grebe · Red-breasted Merganser · Red-throated Loon · Ring-necked Duck · Ruddy Duck · Snow Goose · Snowy Egret · Tricolored Heron · Tundra Swan · Virginia Rail · Western Grebe · White Ibis · Wood Duck · Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Avocet · American Golden Plover · American Oystercatcher · American Woodcock · Arctic Tern · Baird's Sandpiper · Black Skimmer · Black Tern · Black-bellied Plover · Black-headed Gull · Black-tailed Gull · Bonaparte's Gull · Buff-breasted Sandpiper · Caspian tern · Common Tern · Curlew Sandpiper · Dunlin · Forster's Tern · Glaucous Gull · Great Black-backed Gull · Greater Shearwater · Greater Yellowlegs · Gull-billed Tern · Herring Gull · Hudsonian Godwit · Iceland Gull · Killdeer · Laughing Gull · Least Sandpiper · Least Tern · Lesser Black-backed Gull · Lesser Yellowlegs · Little Gull · Long-billed Dowitcher · Marbled Godwit · Parasitic Jaeger · Pectoral Sandpiper · Piping Plover · Pomarine Jaeger · Purple Sandpiper · Red Phalarope · Red-necked Phalarope · Ring-billed Gull · Roseate Tern · Royal Tern · Ruddy Turnstone · Sanderling · Sandwich Tern · Semipalmated Plover · Semipalmated Sandpiper · Short-billed Dowitcher · Solitary Sandpiper · Sooty Shearwater · Spotted Sandpiper · Stilt Sandpiper · Upland Sandpiper · Western Sandpiper · White-rumped Sandpiper · White-winged Tern · Willet · Wilson's Phalarope · Wilson's Plover · Wilson's Storm-Petrel · Wilson's snipe
Gamebirds & dovesEurasian Collared-Dove · Mourning Dove · Northern Bobwhite · Rock Dove · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Red-bellied Woodpecker · Red-headed Woodpecker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney Swift · Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian Flycatcher · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Pipit · American Redstart · American Robin · American Tree Sparrow · Ash-throated Flycatcher · Bank Swallow · Barn Swallow · Bay-breasted Warbler · Belted Kingfisher · Black Scoter · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-billed Cuckoo · Black-legged Kittiwake · Black-throated Blue Warbler · Black-throated Green Warbler · Blackburnian Warbler · Blackpoll Warbler · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Blue-headed Vireo · Blue-winged Warbler · Boat-tailed Grackle · Bobolink · Brant · Brown Creeper · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Brown-headed Nuthatch · Canada Warbler · Canvasback · Cape May Warbler · Carolina Chickadee · Carolina Wren · Cedar Waxwing · Chestnut-sided Warbler · Chipping Sparrow · Chuck-will's-widow · Clay-colored Sparrow · Cliff Swallow · Common Eider · Common Grackle · Common Nighthawk · Common Redpoll · Common Yellowthroat · Connecticut Warbler · Dark-eyed Junco · Dickcissel · Dovekie · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Towhee · Eastern Wood-Pewee · European Starling · Evening Grosbeak · Field Sparrow · Fish Crow · Fox Sparrow · Gadwall · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Golden-winged Warbler · Grasshopper Sparrow · Gray Catbird · Gray-cheeked Thrush · Great Crested Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · Hooded Warbler · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Ipswich Sparrow · King Eider · Lapland Longspur · Lark Sparrow · Least Flycatcher · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · Magnolia Warbler · Mallard · Marsh Wren · Mourning Warbler · Nashville Warbler · Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow · Northern Cardinal · Northern Gannet · Northern Goshawk · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Oriole · Northern Parula · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Shoveler · Northern Shrike · Northern Waterthrush · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Orange-crowned Warbler · Orchard Oriole · Ovenbird · Painted Bunting · Palm Warbler · Philadelphia Vireo · Pine Siskin · Pine Warbler · Prairie Warbler · Prothonotary Warbler · Purple Finch · Purple Martin · Razorbill · Red Crossbill · Red Knot · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-winged Blackbird · Redhead · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Ruff · Rusty Blackbird · Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow · Savannah Sparrow · Scarlet Tanager · Seaside Sparrow · Sedge Wren · Snow Bunting · Song Sparrow · Sora · Summer Tanager · Surf Scoter · Swainson's Thrush · Swamp Sparrow · Tennessee Warbler · Tree Swallow · Tufted Titmouse · Veery · Vermilion Flycatcher · Vesper Sparrow · Warbling Vireo · Western Kingbird · Whimbrel · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-eyed Vireo · White-throated Sparrow · White-winged Scoter · Willow Flycatcher · Wilson's Warbler · Winter Wren · Wood Thrush · Worm-eating Warbler · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-bellied Flycatcher · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-rumped Warbler · Yellow-throated Vireo · Yellow-throated Warbler
Small mammalsBrown Rat · Delmarva Fox Squirrel · Eastern Cottontail · Eastern Gray Squirrel · House Mouse · Meadow Jumping Mouse · Meadow Vole · Muskrat · North American Least Shrew · Northeastern Marsh Rice Rat · Northern Short-tailed Shrew · White-footed Mouse
Marine mammalsAtlantic Spotted Dolphin · Atlantic White-sided Dolphin · Blue Whale · Common Bottlenose Dolphin · Common Minke Whale · Dwarf Sperm Whale · Electra Dolphin · Fin Whale · Goose-beaked Whale · Gray Seal · Harbor Porpoise · Harbor Seal · Harp Seal · Hooded Seal · Humpback Whale · Long-finned Pilot Whale · North Atlantic Right Whale · Pygmy Sperm Whale · Risso's Dolphin · Rough-toothed Dolphin · Sei Whale · Short-beaked Common Dolphin · Short-finned Pilot Whale · Sperm Whale · Striped Dolphin · Tamanend's Bottlenose Dolphin · True's Beaked Whale
PredatorsCommon Raccoon · Long-tailed Weasel · North American River Otter · Red Fox
Hoofed mammalsHorse · Sika Deer · White-tailed Deer
BatsBig Brown Bat · Eastern Red Bat · Hoary Bat · Little Brown Bat · Silver-haired Bat · Tricolored Bat
Also on the checklistVirginia Opossum
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Camping in the national parks · Canoeing and kayaking in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Horseback riding in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 36 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Spring: Often windy and cool with lows in the 40's and highs in the 60's. Summer: Hot and humid with lows in the 60's and highs in the 80's. Fall: Warm with lows in the 50's and highs in the 70's. Winter: Damp cold and often windy. Lows in the 20's, highs in the 40's.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to enter Assateague Island?
Entrance is $25 per private vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, and $0 per person on foot or bike. Assateague 7 day vehicle pass.
Source: National Park Service
Which passes work at Assateague Island?
The $80 America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee here, and a Assateague Island-only annual pass is $45.
Source: Is the pass worth it
Can I pay the entrance fee in cash?
No. Assateague Island takes cards only at the entrance.
Source: National Park Service
When is entrance to Assateague Island free?
Next on October 27, Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. 2 fee-free days are left this year, for US residents only.
Source: Free entrance days
Do I need a reservation to enter Assateague Island?
No. There is no timed-entry or entrance reservation at Assateague Island. Camping and some tours have their own reservations.
Source: National Park Service
Is Assateague Island open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Assateague Island?
Yes. The Park Service lists 11 campgrounds in Assateague Island: Oceanside Drive-in, Bayside Drive-in, Oceanside Walk-in, Oceanside Group, and Horse camping, and more. 7 take reservations through Recreation.gov.
Which Assateague Island campgrounds have showers, hookups, or a dump station?
Showers: Oceanside Drive-in, Bayside Drive-in, Oceanside Walk-in, Oceanside Group, and Horse camping. Dump station: Oceanside Drive-in, Bayside Drive-in, Oceanside Walk-in, Oceanside Group, Horse camping, Back Country Camping - Pine Tree, Back Country Camping - Tingles Island, Back Country Camping - Green Run, Back Country Camping - Pope Bay, Back Country Camping - Little Levels, and Back Country Camping - State Line.
Source: Campgrounds
Do camping fees at Assateague Island include the entrance fee?
No. Camping is charged per night on top of the entrance fee or a pass; Oceanside Drive-in is $40 a night.
Source: Campgrounds
Is anything closed at Assateague Island right now?
1 active alert as of October 14, 2026: OSV Status.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Assateague Island?
2,325,195 recreation visits in 2025, number 41 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
What is the weather like at Assateague Island?
Spring: Often windy and cool with lows in the 40's and highs in the 60's. Summer: Hot and humid with lows in the 60's and highs in the 80's.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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