Assateague Island National Seashore - Virginia

Located right after the final hotel of Chincoteague Island, you'll find the entry to both the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge as well as to the Virginia side of the Assateague Island National Seashore. In the wildlife refuge, there is plenty of birding that can be done, ponies to be seen and a lighthouse you can climb (but make sure you get there with plenty of time before closing as they do close the entry way for the lighthouse about 30 minutes prior to closing time). For the ponies, you won't find them out everywhere like on the Maryland side, but penned up in a large enclosure. Once you reach the seashore, there is a National Park visitor's center as well as a beach. We found the beach to be a bit dirty, especially for something maintained by the National Park Service, and in comparison to the Maryland side of the island, which was disappointing. However, it's still a decent place to visit.

Assateague Island

Written by Leann Pettit
Assateague Island, about a 20 minute drive from Ocean City, Maryland, is a great place to go hiking, pony watching, and there are even a few public beaches to relax and take in the sun and surf. Wild ponies roam free on Assateague Island, and there are plenty of opportunities to see the ponies in their natural habitat.

Stop by the visitors center and pick up a map of the island and make a plan for your pony spotting excursion. We began heading to the Old Ferry Landing, where the marshes were suggested as a popular spot for the ponies. Keep a look out in the distance and along the shoreline for the ponies.

From there, we headed to Bayside nature trail, which is mostly boardwalk with some dirt trail. The trail leads you out to a marshy area, again, a good place to see ponies, and, along the way, keep an eye out for other critters (we saw a snake!).

Lastly, we headed out to South Ocean Beach, where you can set up beach towels and chairs and relax in the sun. We didn't see ponies here, however, we were told this is a good place to see them early in the morning, before the crowds get there, and in the evening, after the beach goers have left for the day.

We also saw ponies as we were driving around the island. The ponies will cross the streets, or hang out by the side of the road. Many times, you'll see a volunteer near by that will "guard" the ponies, keeping visitors at a distance so no one gets hurt (including the wild ponies), as well as answer questions for you.