Assateague Island National Seashore
I know I might be a hopeless romantic, but when I hear « camping on an island where wild horses roam free », I have images of the white Camargue horses galloping free in harmony on the beach… Maybe that’s why I was surprised to see pissed off horses stealing bags of chips from campsites and being aggressive with dogs and people. They reminded me more of giant raccoons than the Camargue horses of the animal channel of my youth…
Of course they behave like this because people feed them to take pictures with them or try to pet them. One died last year after being fed commercial dog food… Many get hit by cars because they associate vehicles with food. It’s a pretty sad reality.
Like bears, if the horses get used to humans feeding them, they will tear into the tents to get food, raid picnic tables, and even push people out of the way to get to the food sources. Unfortunately, people are not scared of horses like they are of bears, so they just leave food outside unattended even if this is a very clear rule.
Horses have been on Assateague Island for over 300 years. Though nobody knows for sure how they got there, it is certain that they were not originally wild. Domesticated horses could have swam ashore from sinking ships or could have been thrown off of ships that had run aground in an attempt to lighten and refloat the ship. Another theory is that during colonial times, residents on the mainland brought horses to graze on the island to avoid taxation on animals living on the mainland. Regardless, today the horses are wild and, for the most part, left to fend for themselves. (excerpt from here).
And it has to stay that way. But of course this is too much to ask.
So, even if the beach is beautiful and wild (and not littered! I could not find one piece of trash on it!!), we won’t be back. These horses may be corralled and no longer be able to freely roam the island if visitors continue to violate the well-posted park rules. I feel very torn about places like these. I know I don’t want to be part of this. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
If you consider coming here, make sure to reserve ahead and know that the mosquitoes are pretty bad in the summer months (July and August are the worst; there were none while we were there mid-October). Keep all your food inside your vehicles at all times unless it is in a plate or bowl in front of you. Dogs are accepted in a few loops and adjacent beaches (and please keep them on a leash at all times). Horses will come on your campsite and smell your dog, so if you have a dog that is likely to react to that, either keep him in your rig when a horse approaches or do not come to the island. Expect that people will walk into your campsite if there are horses on it. Also know that there are no campsites with ocean view since there are dunes that separate the campground from the ocean (that is not clear on the map). The campsites closest to the boardwalk that leads to the sea are NOT a good choice since people will walk on your site to get to the ocean. The campsites that are away from the beach offer a little more protection against the elements. Most campsites are sand (with a paved area for rigs). It gets pretty windy and miserable when it rains here, so plan accordingly.
There are miles of dedicated (road) bike trails along the island and there are a handful of places within the park to trap your own crabs or forage your own mussels (trapping supplied cost about $20 and can be found at any of the local tackle shops). Both AT&T and Verizon signal was spotty. This is dry camping, but the shower buildings are amazing. However, some people will run their generators all day (allowed from 7 am to 10 pm), so it can be pretty annoying in such a peaceful place.
While you are there, make sure you check out the cute little town of Berlin, 20 minutes away (skip Ocean City!) and go have delicious craft beer at the Burley Oak Brewery.
