Bayside Campground

Aside from the whole "there are wild horses roaming around here to see" aspect, Assateague has three very short hikes, all set in completely different environments: one along the beach dunes, one through a lush forest, and another via boardwalk over a marsh. The horses are off in the distance, or appear suddenly around some bend regularly. Egrets and geese and waterfowl are abundant.

If you can get it, you'll almost definitely prefer the Ocean side campground to the Bay, but the bay itself is also beautiful and there's a beach right there.

Also, though the toilets are primitive long drop style outhouses, they were particularly clean for a state park.

This was our first visit to the Assateague Island National Park. It's at the far end of Maryland's piece of the island. We arrived on Sunday about 12:30ish and had to wait in line about 10-15 minutes to get through the pay booth. Note - camping fees do not include entrance to the National park which is $20 per car if you don't have a Senior Pass. Backups of 3 miles can be experienced on seasonal weekends according to posted signs. Once past the booth, campers must turn right into the Ranger Station to check in. The check-in process took about 10 minutes. You get a map and hang-tag that includes the camping rules and other information on the back. Our spot was a pull-through with fairly large mowed area on the door side with room for a tent or two, picnic table and fire-circle. Our 32' Excella plus TV fit within the paved area. Bushes on each end helped obscure our neighbors to the side and back. The was no shade, no hookups, and quiet time is 10pm - 6am.

Our site was walking distance to the bayside beach area which included picnic tables under some trees, small beach and shallow water that would be perfect for those with small children. There is a parking lot for beach chair/picnic drop off. There are kayak, paddle board, and canoe rentals and a small shop. The oceanside beach was not close enough to walk to for us, but would be accessible via bicycle. We dropped off our younger guests at the Ocean beach where there was a boardwalk to the beach, a small store, and several rest-room buildings. The beach is unguarded.

Nightly Rate: During the week is usually $25.00 a night but my husband has an Interagency Senior Pass so we only had to pay half.

Favorite things: The water access, beautiful sunsets, wildlife, semi-private, large campsites, walking distance to bayside beach. The view of the stars at night. Access to Ocean City, MD. Food stores, produce stands and restaurants are nearby.

Negatives:
This campground is home to small roaming horses. They poop wherever they feel for it. In the street, in the grass next to your campsite, etc. Our campsite was one of their favorites as it was next to some high grass. At all times, day and night one or more would mosey through eating, congregating, etc. They generally leave the humans and their mobile domiciles alone as long as food isn't left out. Of course, where there are horses, there are flies and they are particularly irritating during the day, especially when eating. Many campers had put up screen tents in addition to their camper or sleeping tent. The mosquitoes were not a problem as long as we had citronella candles going.

We had an awesome time camping at a pristine site that overlooks the chincoteague bay. We were apprehensive to book bayside because much of assateagues hype seems to be about ocean front camping (beautiful but sandy). Due to the time of year we had great temps and very few issues with flies. Mosquitoes are always around but nothing a little bug spray can’t handle. The site was waterfront. We regret not bringing fishing rods and/or canoe/kayak. You can also go clamming right out from the site. Highly recommend!

We stayed two nights in August. Enjoyed the beach, bay and beautiful horses. The mosquitoes are BRUTAL. We got a lot of rain and several sites were flooded. Bathrooms are minimal, typical for state/national parks. Sites are large and some are quite private.

We love this park. We don’t live far away so it’s an easy drive for a weekend getaway. 20mins to Ocean City to some great night life. The mosquitos are the worst bring bug spray and some kind of bug tent to make it more enjoyable. The ponies will just come right up to your camp site and will be everywhere. We bought a park pass that gets us in for the year and you can drive in the beach with a beach pass

We wandered in here as we slowly migrate south along the coast. We had never heard of Assateague Island, nor did we know the NPS had an area here and campgrounds..

There were several aspects that made our stay here a memorable one. First of all, there is a plethora of wildlife. We saw whitetail deer, wild horses, sika deer, herons, egrets, bald eagles, foxes and caught blue crabs!

Secondly, the campsites, at least in the bayside loops, are large and level and separated from one another with enough space to give some feeling of privacy. It's dark and quiet at night. Here's the deal though, during the week, we were basically the only people here.

Finally, if you need mail or anything sent to you while you're in the area, Berlin and Ocean City are a couple minutes away.

I shot some video around here if you want to get a feel for the area. https://youtu.be/k07uwG6FD7g

Oh, and did I mention the sunsets?

This is a very compact park if you don't have the permit to drive on the beach; maybe 4 miles long with an excellent bike trail along the entire length. Very easy to get around with bikes. Possibly the most beautiful beach on the east coast due to the dunes and lack of development. There is a lot of camping packed into a small area but it didn't feel over-crowded. Sites on oceanside (drive-in and walk in), and bayside. We were in the bayside loop B, which is generator free, so if you are RVing for more than a couple nights, you'll probably want to stay in loop A or C. Sites are paved and pretty level. No hookups. We enjoyed biking the park and walking along the beach. We were there pre-skeeter season (early May), so cannot address that negative aspect. Wild horses and wild horse manure were plentiful. Both bayside and oceanside dump stations were a disgrace; completely full and disgusting. Park needs to address that. Otherwise well maintained and staffed. Good OTA TV reception (point antenna NW towards Salisbury) and barely to mostly non-existent T-Mobile cell reception.

There are few things I love more than an off-season, dog-friendly beach. I camped for six nights in Bayside, site B29, in one of the last weeks before things got busy for the year. On the weekend the campground was nearly full, but during the week it was nearly empty. Apart from some wild Assateague horses and curious birds, I had the place almost to myself.

My campsite was open overhead (great for solar - loop B is generator-free) but surrounded by enough trees to feel some separation from the neighbors, when they existed. A 60 second walk brought me to the shore of the bay, a 10 minute walk brought me to the beach. Incredible sunrises at the beach, incredible sunsets on the bay.

I biked the whole park and think I would stay in Bayside again over Oceanside. Oceanside is obviously much closer to the beach, but the sites are smaller and closer together, and the wind really throws the sand around. If you're lucky enough to snag a waterfront spot at Bayside, that's the really good stuff.

AT&T was ok for a week of working though not spectacular. It slowed down significantly on the weekend evenings when everyone was loading the towers.

With wild horses come a lot of flies - even in the early spring - though I imagine it gets much worse in the summer. Two nights I had horses hunker down right outside my van door, which was only a challenge because I needed to get my dog out to pee.

Bring your bike, bring your binoculars, bring your camera, bring a kayak or paddle board. Check out the exhibits at the visitor center and take a day trip to Ocean City if you're feeling brave. Chincoteague doesn't allow dogs - even in your car - but if you head that way check out the NASA Wallops Visitor Center.

We have always stayed on the MD state park side, so thought we’d give the National park side a try. Only availability was on the bay side. We stayed here 4 nights in late June.

Pluses
View from site of bay was beautiful
We were able to ride our bikes to the beach everyday
Access to ocean and bayside beaches
Plenty of horses
Close to Berlin and OC for meals, entertainment and golf

Minuses
We were unable to sit outside the entire time due to mosquitos. And we spent hours killing them inside our RV when they snuck in while we were getting in and out of the camper.
Toilets are pit style and outside showers are cold
Crowds - so the entrance in for campers and day use vehicles. The lines on weekends can go for a mile. Plan your arrival accordingly