Assateague State Park is located on the sand barrier island of the same name. The waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Sinepuxent Bay surround it, providing two miles of beaches.
Campers will find the habitat rough and should arrive well-prepared.
The famous wild Chincoteague ponies are a living part of the island's history. They are believed to be descendants of livestock used by settlers in the 17th century. Another theory about their origin is that they escaped from a sinking Spanish galleon and swam to shore in the 1600s.
Take a boat tour to see the wild ponies. They usually roam in herds of five to 10.
Shipwrecks were frequent. One involved the Dispatch, the official yacht of President Benjamin Harrison, in 1891. No one was injured, but what had been the official yacht of five presidents was destroyed. Shipwreck sites sometimes come into view today after storms.
Boating, fishing, swimming, beachcombing, canoeing, kayaking and hiking are available.
