Camping at Assateague

Camping info

You can get reservations on the federal side, for $20 a night, at recreation.gov but your chances on finding open spots during the weekend are limited till labor day. You could probably find a spot during the weekday. The state side (MD) costs $30 a night and if you make reservations on the weekend, you have to do so for both Fri. and Sat. Don't have the website but just google Maryland State Park Camping. Costs $15 bucks to get into Federal side, annual pass is $20, and State side is $3, I think.

 

And if you haven't visited Assateague before, I would suggest doing so before deciding to camp. I've been going to Assateague for the last 30 years and was just there surfing Bertha. I have no idea how anyone camps there with all the horse flies and mosquitos... It was a topic of conversation in between sessions. In fact, we decided to crack a couple of cold ones when we were finished for the day but had to abruptly pack up because the horse flies continued to get worse. That being said, there was no wind to help the situation...

 

Yes sir, If the wind is blowing out of the west you will want to be prepared for flies and mosqitos. The will eat you to the bone otherwise,

 

At Assateague the bugs are awful unless you are in the water. I have an off road permit there and I am either in the water on in my car unless the wind is blowing the bugs away from the beach, which is rare. You would be better off getting a off road permit (if you have the right type of vehicle) or find a friend that has one and making a trip each day you are there.

I say save the camping for the OBX area in the late Sept-Oct. time of year, I did it last fall and it was great, but we also had like 20 people staying with us and most of them were actual surfing everyday. We were staying between the Lighthouse and Frisco Pier, the weather was good except for rain the first night, there were few bugs even at night, and 1 of the days hit was head and half at the light house.

Also at Assateague if you chose to do the "backcountry" camping option because of lack of normal camping spaces, but have an off road pass you can't use your car to drive to the beach because it has to stay parked at the ranger station. I understand them not wanting people to drive in the protected area but if you want to pop a tent on the dunes and camp/surf you aren't allowed access to the off road area in the car you paid to get a pass for. It is very frustrating deal with that sort of short sighted policy

 

yea i dont think it is too smart to camp at assateague becase of all those horse flies, but the surf is ussualy a little more fun than oc i think!

 

Follow this guys advice. This little camp site sits on one of the sickest lefts I've ever surfed on the east coast(short of the actual lighthouse itself). Caught it 2 Septembers ago on a family vacation with my bro and 2 family friends from Fenwick. It was a huge east ground swell with a gnarly N wind. The lighthouse was blown out and Frisco was a mad house (even out on the shoals that were breaking). Ended up driving back toward that camp site passed the airport and scoring. We kept going back there all the way from Avon just to surf it semi-offshore and over head high with only the 4 of us out while the swell lasted.

p.s. you can also hike N to there from the Frisco Pier if you don't have 4-wheel drive and don't mind hiking an hour

 

gotta agree w/ the obx. i'm camping at frisco woods for a week in mid august. did the same last year. I saw the airport break going off the day I arrived. wanted to set up the tent and get a spot for camping. waves were turds by the time i got back. win some, lose some. and assateague's horse flies are crazy. I was bit this weekend by a nasty bug. wasn't a horse fly but I was about the size of a half dollar. i smashed it on my back, it fell to the sand, laughed at me, and flew away. no joke

 

If you are talking about the same site I am, the side road that leads to it is directly across the street from a this little market and fishing/hunting shop, with some gas pumps outside. It on the left a few miles past the Natural Art shop if you are heading south from the Lighthouse. As you enter the site right before the Ranger check in, you can turn off onto the sand towards the beach if you have an off road ready vehicle...I was pretty impressed with the quality of waves at this little spot, and the fact that there was no one there except for the surf club from my school, and a 3 locals that were very welcoming and mellow about us being on their beach. We also had a couple of nice cookouts and drinking sessions on that beach when the sun went down and we couldn't surf anymore.

I am planing on going back there this fall, and camping at the same spot...the only downer was the lack of hot shower water or lights in the stall at night when it cooled off and you couldnt see in the dark shower stall, but that is nitpicking on my part.

 

season?

so, is there maybe a particular time of year that might be less buggy to go camping at Assateague? Like maybe the bugs dont really show up until after april or something...or is they are there pretty much whenever it is comfortable for humans to be there...

 

Camping at AI

I've been camping there twice. The first time on the Bayside. It was horrible. The mosquitos coat you like killer bees. The second time I camped oceanside thinking it'd be better. I was wrong. It was worse if you ask me. A few hundred mosquitos get into your car every time you open it up. The ticks are bad too. Definitely not a good place to camp. You'll realize that as soon as you get out of your car there. Its a good place to visit for maybe an hour. But yeah, if you do camp the only haven is on the otherside of the dunes.

 

I personally won't camp there after April 1st cuz that seems to be about the time when bugs really start (depending on how warm the early spring is). They can definately ruin your day! This time of year you're really at the mercy of the winds - what you need is just enough to keep the flies on the bayside but not too much to blow things out. It can be done though - just look at all those happy campers there every weekend during the summer!

ps - summer day trips for surf can be a great alternative to OC when the tide is right (generally meaning low and incoming)

 

Yup, dats da spot! I have never run into a crowd there except for some guys surf fishing.

 

Nice to know that you know about it too, I hope it stays a semi-secret spot though because I enjoyed being able to surf without feeling like I was too far out of my depth skill wise thus getting in anyones way, and liked being able to learn a little on actual waves as oppose to whitewater and slop in a crowded line up.

The day I went there was during a very crazy out of nowhere swell at the Lighthouse that blew up to at least head and a half and everyone who was anyone decent in the OBX area was out ripping. I am still a beginner and was a very green beginner when the Lighthouse blew up on my trip, so I went far away from Brett Barley and those guys killing it. I got worked on the long paddle out (but made it) and started sitting past the breaking waves only to figure out the relationship with mother nature and myself was not in tune enough to even think of dropping in on waves that big. I sort of/kind of caught a smaller one back in then left. Coming back I discovered the beach at my campsite was perfect for me on that day and the lack of a crowd helped with the fact that I suck(ed), and meant that I wasn't taking waves from those who deserved them or putting anyone in danger. I was able to get a better grasp on my timing without the issue of being a burden to others surfing, because of that I will always love that little tucked away corner of OBX.