With a bit of care, driving and camping on the sand is very doable. Whenever possible stop on level sand, never facing up or down hill. Drive slow and steady, stay on the level areas, and never drive on the dunes. Spinning wheels will just take the rig down into the sand and up to the frame.Īlways use wide turns on the beach. If stuck, let out a little more air from your tires, then slowly drive forward, or back up a little, and then go ahead. As with everything, experience is the best teacher. Should you get stuck in the sand, another rig will always stop to help. During the weekdays in summer, the Bull Pen is not crowded. I think it’s 145 vehicles, and then it’s one vehicle off, one vehicle on. During the summer, it is recommended to arrive early, as a limited number of vehicles are permitted on the beach at any one time. On the weekdays, we have gone for days seeing only the rangers making their rounds. In the Spring and Fall, the weekends are busy. The sun rises out of the sea, dolphins play in the surf, a herd of wild ponies graze over the dunes, and the yearling colts kick up their heels. The Assateague Island National Seashore ExperienceĪ stay on the beach at Assateague Island is like no other US Park Service facility experience. “Home is the sailor, home from the sea, and the hunter home from the hill.” As facilities were built, including a ranger station, pavilions, and bath houses, the United States Park Service began to actively manage and supervise the activities. During those early years, many vehicles got caught in the soft sand below the tide lines and were lost to the sea. We would let some air out of the tires and camp on the beach. I took my real estate prospects to see Assateague, as I considered the developing park to be a major asset to the area. Fisherman, campers, and surfers all clamored for spaces. Dune buggies, dirt bikes, and anything with wheels was found on the beach. We were able to drive onto the beach, after airing down the tires, and there was little to no supervision. For several years there were no improvements on Assateague, other than the bridge, a road, and parking.
In 1968, I was a real estate broker selling property at Ocean Pines, then a brand new community not far from the new bridge to Assateague. The campground also offers many recreational opportunities including swimming, hiking, birding, fishing, bicycling, canoeing, and off-road vehicle use. The United States Park Service operates a large campground for both RV and tent camping. The National Seashore, which is managed by the United States Park Service, extends southward about twenty miles to the Virginia line. The park offers a limited number of sites with electric, many sites just over a dune from the beach, and bath houses with hot showers. Today there is a bridge close to the northern end, in Maryland, to access a 680 acre Maryland State camping park. Before the hurricane, the area was sparsely built up with a few summer houses and a small ferry for access.
A hurricane in 1932 created an inlet at Ocean City, Maryland thereby causing the remaining long barrier spit to become an island. Virginia tucks in closely between the mainland and Assateague. Maryland and Virginia share the island at its southern end, the smaller and inhabited Chincoteague Island. In the late 1960s, the National Park Service bought out private land and home owners to develop a preserve and recreation complex on the forty mile long barrier island. Linda and I have had a close relationship with Assateague Island since its transition from a private development to a National Seashore. Skip Bosley shares forty years of stories, wisdom, and advice on Assateague National Seashore, one of the most rewarding truck camping destinations on Earth.
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