Assateague State Park Campground

The best time to go is in May. In May it's hot enough to get a tan but it's not miserable heat and there aren't many bugs. At this time, it's a super relaxing trip.

We camped here Oct 3 - 6, 2014. It was the shakedown trip for our recently purchased 1988 Excella 1000. The rate was for 3 nights. We booked the extra night so we could leave late on Sunday. Our site was on a no-hookup loop which included both tent and RV sites.
Each loop has a bath house and there was a dump station in the park.

It was difficult to find at first because the National Park is along the same road. Go past the National Park and cross the bridge. There is a large parking lot to park in while checking in. Check in process was painless. Ice and wood are available. There was also food and camp store in the same area. Campers are given a code to enter the campground, which is gated.
NOTE: this was in October, I've heard it can get crowded during the summer months.

Our site was oceanside behind the dune. A path to the beach was on the other side of our neighbors. The pads are staggered so you are not staring into your neighbors windows but there are no trees or bushes to provide any sense of privacy.
A picnic table and fire ring were at each site. The road around the loop was one-way and the width of 1 1/2 lanes. There is sand everywhere so be careful when backing in, us greenhorns got stuck but we had plenty of help getting unstuck. (We had a Silverado 1500 then).

We experienced all weather - wind, rain, sun, cold. There were also beautiful sunsets and wild ponies. Favorite thing about this location - steps from the beach! Also Ocean City, stores and restaurants are nearby but out of sight. Least favorite - signs to fresh water and dump station were hard to see.

We did have cell service but can't remember the details.

Staying at this state park was the best experience during our latest three month trip. We would definitely go back.

We made the reservations online and paid in full for a late April stay. Once we arrived, we purchaser a $10 Senior's Park Pass (for the State of Delaware, not the National Parks) and were refunded $33 due to the Senior Discount. Win!!!

You are given a code upon check-in to get through the electric gate at the campground entrance.

We stayed in loop E which had no hook ups and didn't allow pets. With the exception of the weekend when tents popped up on almost every site, we had the entire loop to ourselves. The loops further away from the campground office did have electric and therefore had more people staying there. The sites were paved, generously wide, and level. The pavement helped keep the sand out of the RV.

The beach was just a dune away. It was heavenly to wake up in the morning, walk over the dune and watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean. The beach was never crowded at all. You felt like you had your own private beach. Only campers are allowed on the beach stretching along the campsites. And we were told even when the campground was full to capacity in the summer, the beach was again never very crowded.

The bathrooms were clean and plentiful. There was a kid's playground adjacent to Loop E.

We visited the National Park and walked their three hiking trails. Make sure to visit the National Park Visitor's Center and view the videos about the island. We saw the wild ponies in the marshes. There were no wild ponies in the campground in April, we were told they come to the beach to cool off in summer and when the breeze is needed to shoo away the flies.

There were ample over the air television stations and Verizon worked well.

All in all, we had a very peaceful, relaxing visit to Assateague Island. We are so grateful that this island was saved from becoming another Ocean City. The place is beautiful and should be preserved in the state it is in.

The wild ponies were waiting to greet us when we arrived at our site so I was already in love with the place!

Asphalt roads and parking pads with sand and grass sites. Level and 30 amp electric. All open sky sites, no trees. You can hear the surf from the site, but the dunes block the water view (and a lot of the wind). The sites are smaller than a lot of state parks, but we never felt crowded.

Fire pits and picnic tables. Dark and quiet at night.

You MUST put away all food, ice chests, backpacks or the ponies will destroy your site getting at them. Husband was sitting in the dark at the picnic table and a pony surprised him with a big lick across his head! They are so quiet in the sand and he was VERY surprised! They are used to humans but they are not friendly so obey all the signs to keep your distance (although apparently they can't read). Signs shouldn't be necessary, it's common sense that they are wild animals. But - people :-(

There is an easy access dump station and potable water at the entrance. Check-in is easy with plenty of room to unhook if you are towing. Friendly and helpful rangers. They also enforce the speed limit strictly. Small store and grill and interpretive center.

The campground is over the bridge, don't stop at the visitor's center, there's little room to get back out!

After reviewing the reviews, I notice only one posted about the summer months, and now I know why. Our last night during our August trip, the humidity was 98% making it about 90 deg in our camper. I have yet to use a sauna, but I imagine that was close enough. Since I wasn't able to get a power spot to run AC, we had to adapt to the heat. The horses occasionally paid us a visit, and at least once at night, which did not help us get to sleep. The beach was great, and very close by. Beware of the weeds at sites further away from the dunes. They contain jaggers?(not sure what to call them) and they hurt when you step on them. Not much can be done to protect you from the bugs, the mosquitos were relentless, even with Deet applied. The only thing I didn't try was a Thermocell. We were able to get over 20 channels and Verizon and AT&T came in just fine. Ocean City is about 20 mins away and was very crowded when we were there. There are nice bathhouses, with 2 indoor/2 outdoor showers each. Also note, Only one dump station for the entire campground as far as I could tell.

This is a great place to camp. I just want to report that with AT&T, I can only check the weather.

The Maryland State Park campground is a pure beach camping experience. If you’re looking for privacy, this is not where you want to be. All the sites are close together with nothing but sand and grass in between; and an occasional wild pony which the kids will love seeing. On the plus side the sites nearly dead level, in fact the entire CG is nearly dead level. Come prepared for wind, sand stakes are called for. The bathhouses are up-to-date and well maintained. The Atlantic Ocean is just over the dune a short walk from the campsites; be sure to use the access points and keep the kids off the dunes, they’re much more fragile than they look. Ocean City is a short drive away for supplies; prices reflect the relative remoteness of this barrier island location. For a more forested habitat take the level bike paths over to the Assateague National Wildlife Reserve a few miles further South on the island; there is some excellent bay side birding here. A word to the wise, reserve early (like 12 months early) if you want any hookups as this CG books up quick.

Don’t show up before 2pm- check in time is enforced. All back in sites. Plenty of room between sites. Facilities are very clean. All sites are close to the beach which is only open to the campground people. On July 4th last year we were no others swimming within 100 yards in each direction. No water at sites, electricity only in loop G and I. Did I mention that wild horses walk through the sites regularly?

One of our favorite places to stay.

Our stay… May 2nd thru 5th, 3 nights for $64 including service charge and MD’s Golden age discount for site # G178 (one in the electric/pet loop). First time staying at the State Park. Was impressed with the length of the pad and the ample distance from your neighbor…more than enough room for the ponies to pass thru. Only electric at the site so be sure to fill water at dump station area, located on the opposite side so not to be confused with the non-potable water, neither had a hose, so be prepared. While I never tried the showers, the bath house was always very clean but was a very long walk from our site. The walk to the beach enjoyable, 2 access points for the loop. On the inside turns of this double loop, the sites are setup as pull-thru, the rest are back in and many large RV’s had trouble. Too early in the season for many bugs except flies, be sure to bring bug spray or a swatter. Weather app pin-pointed us on “Campground road” and was able to stream movies (ATT) on iphone. We (and the critters) will be returning, during cool weather of course.

We arrived during a nor'easter and left during a rainstorm. In between, we found peace, tranquility and an abundance of wildlife despite the ongoing wind, clouds, and mist. The sites were pristine, bathhouse immaculate, lots of hot water, friendly staff and volunteer hosts. Due to the cool weather and wind there were no bugs. Very well-run campground. We suspect that the busy summer season would likely make for more congestion. But during May, it's the perfect place to get away from it all and unwind.