Assateague Island National Seashore Campground

The campsite was perfectly located right by the water. Sunsets and sunrises were beautiful. Water was perfect and no jellyfish. Despite all surrounding campsites being reserved online; hardly half of them were occupied. The biting flies and mosquitoes however were far worse than I anticipated. 100% DEET spray, citronella, termacel and long sleeve shirts & pants were completely ineffective at protecting us from being nonstop eaten by bugs. My children and husband threatened mutiny if I ever try to bring them camping here again.

First timer and just an overnight stay but we had a fav time here! Oceanside 97 was really nice, did not have to walk much from our car to the campground, ~60 yards. Showers and toilets are also nearby. Beautiful beach and campfire under the stars, it doesn't get any better! One caveat, horse flies were biting - especially the Greenhead - be prepared...

The beach, sunrise and sunset and stars were amazing. Being able to so close to the water was great. Biggest downside is the bugs, mosquitos, biting flies. I didn’t have bug spray that was strong enough. Bugs weren’t a problem down by the beach but were awful by the camp site. Be prepared, get strong bug spray and wear long pants and cover up ankles, feet. The bugs bit through my clothing. But overall was amazing.

This was altogether a fantastic adventure, however, there were elements I will share that I think will help future campers have the best possible experience:
1. August will not only be hot, but buggy. Lots of biting flies and mosquitoes. If you have sensitive people, maybe opt for September/ October.
2. The horses are beautiful from a distance. But they will rip through a screened in gazebo to grab your food (they did to us and our neighbors). We had all food put away, but were in the middle of eating it and the horse was not scared or deterred by clanging pots and pans/yelling/barking. What finally shooed him away was shaking a bag of recycling cans loudly. When food was packed away, they passed by peacefully and we admired from a distance.
3. Bring something to dust off all the sand. It will be everywhere.
4. Make sure to bring plenty of shade structures with you. Also be prepared to stake down everything with heavy duty sand stakes and take shelter in your car when a big thunderstorm with the potential for tornadoes arises.

It was a thrilling experience for the family, and although we had bug bites and jellyfish stings, it was a terrific experience of the great outdoors. It’s not easy on the elderly and young ones, so I share this information for others to max out their experience there. We will return!

I love coming here every year to enjoy the peaceful beach and horses.
The campsite itself was clean and well maintained though one side of the under-picnic table storage door was broken.

This year I did notice the bathrooms are not as well maintained as they have been in the past. At site #93, I could smell the bathroom each time the door was opened. It was awful to be able to smell them thought the night and during the day as we hung out at camp. I didn’t see any NPS employees come to maintain them nor the plastic boardwalk.

This our 9th trip to Assateague Island. We love going and camping with the horses. This year the mosquitos were a little worse than the last few, but that is just part of the experience. We look forward to coming back in 2 years to keep up the family tradition.

Always a great time. The Oceanside campsites are the best. Just wish people would be more careful with their food and not ignore the signs everywhere.

The toilet was awful, and there were a lot of people making noise throughout the night. No one was able to sleep, and there was no one around to ask them to keep the noise down.

The group sites doesn't worth the $80/night.

I've been to Assateague every year at the same time for many years and this year was terrible. The bathrooms were overflowing and smelled horrible. There was pony dung everywhere which I think attracted all sorts of bugs. I used to tell everyone that the mosquitoes, horseflies and noseeums were minimal but this year I and everyone else got so bit up that we looked like we had chicken pox. There were little things here and there that seemed to be in disrepair and I don't know if it's due to any budget cuts. If it is, I'm sorry you have to go through with this and I hope things improve. Assateague is a national treasure and I hope it continues to be that way.

I loved the wild horses, the check in was easy, the beaches were beautiful, I wasn’t fully prepared for the mosquitoes also I was warned. I definitely want to come back!