The Beauty Around Us

Thanksgiving Week Vacation Day 4 – Assateague Island MD

By Linda G. on November 24, 2020

Today (November 24th) is day 4 of our Thanksgiving week vacation.

Today we drove to Assateague Island National Seashore (Assateague Island, MD).

… a short geography lesson …

Located on the East Coast along the Atlantic Ocean in Maryland and Virginia, Assateague Island is the largest, natural barrier island ecosystem in the Middle Atlantic states region that remains predominantly unaffected by human development. The Virginia portion of the island is designated as the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with the exception of 448 acres in the refuge’s Toms Cove area maintained by the National Park Service.  These 448 acres are part of the Assateague Island National Seashore.  The Assateague State Park and the Assateague Island National Seashore are located on Assateague Island, MD. There are two entrances to Assateague Island. The island’s south entrance is at the end of Route 175, two miles east of Chincoteague, VA.  The north entrance is at the end of Route 611, eight miles south of Ocean City, MD. There is no vehicle access between the two entrances on Assateague Island. Vehicles must return to the mainland to access either the north or south entrance.

We drove through Pocomoke City on our drive to Assateague Island, MD and went through Girdletree on our way back to Chincoteague, VA.

 

While at Assateague Island National Seashore, we saw several wild ponies.

These two ponies were next to each other.

All five of these wild ponies were located near each other, in a parking lot.

Also, we took a walk along the Life of the Marsh Trail.   An extensive boardwalk takes visitors out and over the salt marsh.

We enjoyed the trail, even though it was a chilly walk.  The temperature was in the upper 30s.

By 10:00 am we were on our way back to Chincoteague, VA.  As we were leaving the island, we saw two more wild ponies grazing alongside the road.

This year marks our sixth visit to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and the Assateague Island National Seashore, located on Assateague Island, VA.  We visited the Virginia portion of Assateague Island previously in 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.  This is our third visit to the Assateague Island National Seashore, located on Assateague Island, MD.  We visited the Maryland portion of Assateague Island previously in 2018 and 2019.

We didn’t stay long at Assateague Island, MD.  We prefer the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge for bird watching and all things nature.  It is nice, though, to visit the northern portion of the Assateague Island National Seashore where we can see the wild ponies up close and personal.

There is more to write about for the 4th day of our vacation, so be on the lookout for Day 4 Part 2.