Oceanside Campground

Camped in A loop, where the outside is mostly for tents, and inside of the loop is for RVs and trailers. Was right next to the vault toilets and showers, but they are very clean and no smell. Small sites was OK for my little trailer and SUV, but big rigs should check site sizes before booking. And yes, there were horses. And deer. And lots of birds.

When it's windy, the bayside is better. And, oh, be prepared for people to walk through your campsite any time to get close to the horses. Few people seem to read the "don't get near the horses" signs and want to walk right up to them :-(

(Note: above rate is with Senior Pass discount)

We came here in a whim not knowing much about Assateague Island or the campground itself, but after our stay and almost 3 years of fulltiming Oceanside Campground easily makes its way into our top 5 best places to camp.

First, the ocean. Miles and miles and miles of unspoiled clean beautiful beach. Not much for beach-combing but you never know what the tide will bring in the next day. Excellent for sun bathing, sand castles and the like.

Second, the horses. Assateague island is know for the 70 or so wild horses that live on the island. During our visit in October they were not easy to miss. We saw a few different harems in a few different places in the national park, sometimes blocking a road or grazing through the campsites. We had horses visit our campsite at least 2 times a day, some of them even using our awning support arm as a scratching post. They eat whatever you leave out, so don’t leave food around!

Third, the crabbing. If you love fresh seafood like we do, there are a handful of places within the park to trap your own crabs or forage your own mussels. We spent 2 hours doing so and trapped and gathered enough to feed a family of 4. Trapping supplied cost about $20 and can be found at any of the local tackle shops.

Those are the big three things we loved about this park, but there’s plenty of other things to love... the miles of dedicated bike trails, the exceedingly educational visitor center with “touch tank”... lots to love.

There is a dump station just outside the camping area.

Both AT&T and Verizon were spotty, but we managed to get 1-2 bars with each at site 36. Coupled with a MIMO antenna we got about 20 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up.

PRO TIP: the mosquitos are FOR REAL, but it seems like they only come out at dusk. As long as the wind is blowing we didn’t have much problem, but made the mistake of going on a bike ride with the kids the first night and got eaten alive. Bring and use bug spray!

This is a very popular campground so be prepared to book several months in advance. A beautiful location on the ocean that offers great views and opportunities to have ponies wandering through your campsite and other areas if the park. Just a few short hiking trails here but a very large beach with plenty of space to relax and enjoy the scenery. Can be very windy at times, so tents can be problematic.

*Cell signal review based on the use of the WeBoost RV 65 kit.

Best sites: 12 and 34

I stayed in site 14 loop 1 for five days in early Oct. brisk winds kept the bugs away. Lovely over the dune walkway made beach access easy. There are latrines and a kind of open or minimal shower. Bayside showers are better. Ocean side spots are more sand swept so don’t hesitate to reserve interior loop Oceanside spots. Views and access don’t change. Be prepared for change in weather. Rustic but beautiful campground. The horses may come through and I had a wonderful morning sipping coffee while the herd munched their way through me campsite

This was a bucket list location for us and it delivered. Site 23 offered shelter from the coastal winds but easy access to the beach. This stretch of beach was gorgeous and with only campers using it so we had it to ourselves most of the time.

Many reviews and information from the NPS warned of mosquitos, but we did not notice mosiquitos. One of our neighbors started a fire at their campsite one morning. The smoke from the fire apparently will draw the wild horses in if they are being pestered by flies. This can be a nuisance if you are trying to cook a meal at your campsite.

Besides the wild horses, we enjoyed watching the other wildlife at the seashore. Pelicans and gulls were numerous. We caught a glimpse of a bald eagle soaring over the coast. During our stay the Monarch butterflies were on their fall migration and were plentiful among the flowers blooming on the dunes.

We really enjoyed the bike lanes throughout the park. Even the bridge to the island has a protected bike/pedestrian lane.

Most of the sites were quite open with little to no privacy, but with site 23 we felt like we had our own beach front hideaway.

Spent for windy rainy foggy days here. spots are paved with horse proof food storage under the picnic tables. First come first serve d camping in off season, was only 1/2 full Easy access to beach over dune paths. Quality outhouses, ocean sounds and the dunes keep noise from neighbors to nearly zero. The horses will stroll through at dusk when they smell campfires. They won’t hesitate to bully their way into your outdoor food prep, and don’t scare off easily — so be alert!

We camped for 2 nights in site 14. The sites are nestled among the dunes and a short walk over them takes you to the pristine beach. The wild ponies roam freely throughout the park. Our t-mobile cell service was better at night. This park is dry camping only, with nice and clean pit toilets and outdoor showers available. Many sites are for tent campers. Like ours, most of the rigs we saw were on the smaller side. The back in pads are asphalt surrounded by soft sand. It is a buggy place, so plan to bring insect repellent. We stayed in mid September so they may not been quite as bad. We had warm days and cool nights with a cooling ocean breeze all the time. Lack of AC was not a problem. Due to bugs, we did not sit outside our trailer, but if we went down to the beach the bugs weren’t a problem. The price we paid reflects a senior pass. Loved this place and would definitely go back!

I travelled here with a 35’ 5th wheel, long bed pickup and parked in the site #15, a dry, BI site for $15/night with an America the Beautiful Sr. Pass. The roads and sites are asphalt and were easy to navigate. If you want to fill with water before setting up, you will have to go past the Oceanside Loop entrance to the dump station and then circle back. #14 was easy to get into. Many of the sites that backed up to the dunes had a lot of sand carried into them by the wind or rain water. The sites across the road (like this one) didn’t have that same problem. I had 2 bars 5G with Verizon, no wifi and I didn’t check for OTA channels. Had 25 mbps download speed at 4:00 pm. There were vault toilets and no showers. Sometimes you can go to the state park up the road and take a shower (if you buy a pass), but they had closed for the season already when I went there. Note: Maryland has a Golden Age Pass - $10 for Seniors, lifetime. There are definitely horses around and take the warnings to keep your cars and things closed up. We saw one horse with his head down to his shoulders inside someone’s van pulling stuff out. Some trails were closed for maintenance, but overall I really liked the vibe of the park and the dune feel of the Oceanside Loop as compared to Bay Side CG or the State Park up the road. I would choose site 12 or 21 in Oceanside or sites A14 or A24 in Bay Side if I came here again. It was a bit of a drive to visit Chincoteague and Wallops NASA station, but worth it. I would definitely come here again.

I actually prefer the sites away from the beach. They have more protection from the wind. The wild ponies wander through the campground and drink from the water source by the bathroom. Windy a lot of the time but that keeps it from getting too hot and also helps with the flies. The beach and water are very nice. The water is a little cold but you get used to it.

This campsite is accessed via a bridge from Berlin, Maryland. There is bayside and oceanside camping. The oceanside camp ground has 2 loops. Both loops have black top roads and pads, however loop 2 is a little more sand swept.
These site are literally on the edge of the dunes. There are no hookups, but they do offer composting bathrooms. Although there is no greenery separating sites, the sites are well spaced. Its lovely to listen to the ocean at night. Each site has a fire ring.
20min from the hustle and bustle of Ocean City but feels like you are worlds away. The beach is beautiful and you can obtain a 4WD permit to do some beach driving. The horses roam around the campground and like to venture down onto the beach. Winter (until April) is first come first served.
Check-in is easy at the park office at the entrance. If you arrive after hours they leave a site map marked with which sites are free.