Located within a three-hour drive to the east and south of Richmond, Washington, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia major metropolitan areas plus north of the several clustered smaller cities around Hampton Roads harbor of Virginia with Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.
The National Seashore offers a setting in which to experience a dynamic barrier island and to pursue a multitude of recreational opportunities.
The stated mission of the park is to preserve and protect “unique coastal resources and the natural ecosystem conditions and processes upon which they depend, provide high-quality resource-based recreational opportunities compatible with resource protection and educate the public as to the values and significance of the area”.
The park is located on a barrier island shaped by the stormy seas and gentle winds along the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula.
The Maryland District of Assateague Island extends from the Ocean City Inlet to the Virginia state line.
The Virginia District of Assateague Island extends from the Maryland state line south to the Chincoteague Inlet.
As a result, Assateague's beach is shifted several hundred meters westwards compared to Ocean City's.
[4] Before the national seashore was created in 1965, the island was going to be turned into a private resort community called Ocean Beach, Maryland.
Realizing that the island was too unstable to build upon, the housing development firm sold all of its land to the federal government.
The park service also opened a new visitor contact station for campground operations, passes and permits on the island in 2012.
No camping is available on the VA portion of the Island however there are several surrounding campgrounds in the town of Chincoteague and on the mainland.
The forest trail is also a half-mile long, consisting of easily walkable hard pack surface and boardwalk.
The trail offers a look at many of the different plants that can be found in this habitat, as well as a section of Baltimore Boulevard, a road that existed on the island before it was destroyed in the 1962 storm.
The Maryland OSV zone extends from the main camping area in the park to the Virginia state line where the horse fence prevents access into the national refuge.
The national seashore provides habitat for a variety of plants and animals adapted to the coastline environment.
During their summer breeding period, closures of the OSV zone and North end of the island often occur in order to prevent visitors from disturbing their nests or harming the newborn chicks.
The salty low-nutrient diet of saltmarsh grasses has resulted in the horses' short stature and bloated abdomens.
In order to ensure healthy ponies to auction off, the firefighters provide them with food, water, and vet care.
The Maryland herd is treated as wildlife and are not rounded up or removed from the island,[10] nor do they receive veterinary care.
Additionally, rangers may write citations for visitors who are seen petting, feeding, or simply moving within 40 feet of the horses.