Assateague Island National Seashore

On Sunday my destination was Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland. I did the three hikes that are available that all take you through the various ecosystems of the island (Life of the Marsh, Life of the Forest, Life of the Dunes). It was really interesting to see how such a small island contains so many different landscapes.

Life of the Dunes

Life of the Forest

Life of the Marsh

Of course the highlight for me was seeing the wild horses that the island is known for. Although they look sweet, there are signs everywhere warning to keep back because these horses do kick and bite.

Assateague Horses

Assateague Horses

I had wanted to rent a kayak to actually get out on the water but the stand was closed so I contented myself with reading a book on the beach. The beach soon got pretty crowded and by the time I left at 1pm there was a line at the entrance station that was backed up about 3 miles. So I decided to head out to the southern end of the park. 

Chincoteague Horses

Approximately an hour south of the Maryland district is the Virginia district of Assateague Island National Seashore. Since I got there mid-afternoon most of the traffic had abated which was a good thing because you have to drive through the tourist drag of Chincoteague, VA to enter the park. There is a herd of horses here as well and they even had some foals which were adorable to see. Hiking the Woodland trail I finally got to see the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel (5 of them)! Or maybe I saw the same squirrel five times.

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A short hikes takes you up to a restored lighthouse. It always fascinates me to see lighthouses sitting in the middle of a forest because it really hits home just so much change barrier islands go through in a relatively short amount of time. .

 

There is also a wildlife loop to drive where I got to see another bald eagle.

 

Although there is more to do in the Chincoteague area of the park, I actually preferred the Assateague portion as it was more primitive to me. Because Chincoteague is so close to the town, it tends to be more overrun with tourists. Both are amazing places to see horses though.