Assateague Island National Seashore cope · Cope in Assateague Island National Seashore
All Destinations | Europe | Asia | North America | Africa | South America | Oceania | Hotels
Cope in Assateague Island National Seashore
Cope in Assateague Island National Seashore
Beach campers far and wide know Assateague as the biting insect hell hole of the Mid-Atlantic. It cannot be emphasized enough that a visit in the warm months without a good bottle or two of insect repellent with DEET can be a nightmare, and will likely end with you speeding off in your car, clawing wildly at your wounds. You can enjoy your trip quite a bit, and quite comfortably if you simply remember to keep the bug spray handy, and to either stay in your tent with a good book or or drive to a local restaurant during the buggy dawny and dusky portions of the day. If you are going over to the bay side, wear long pants and long sleeves, and perhaps a hat. The woods along the trails between the bay and beach sides of the island are by far the worst infested with the insidious little monsters.
Horses love the campsites, they probably love your tent in particular, and they particularly love any and all accessible food. If you have food, it's really best to just keep it on your person or in the car. If you are backcountry camping, and this is therefore not a viable option, bear canisters or some other airtight (preferably double-bagged) contraption will be necessary to keep the horses out of your tent. If there are quadrupeds milling about your insect/sun refuge, and you want them to move off, clap your hands loudly, while keeping your distance, and they should meander off.
It's unlikely that you will have a problem on any given visit, but Assateague occasionally can be a very windy place. Happily this drives away the insects, but the beach can be unpleasant if the sand starts picking up (another reason why it's good to bring some lightweight long-sleeves and pants). And tents have a tendency to fly away even when the wind isn't that strong, as the camping ground is soft. Bring long stakes for the tents, and possibly sand anchors.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Assateague Island National Seashore
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Assateague Island National Seashore - updated May 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Assateague Island National Seashore hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
>>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<
WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020
Assateague Island National Seashore Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.