anyone been to Assateague ?

[lozina]

I'm planning on heading over there for 4th of july weekend. Hoping to get some ideas of what to do there and what to expect. Are there alot of flies or mosquitos there? Can I go swim or fish off any part of the coast? This time I will be staying at a hotel nearby but maybe another time I'll camp on a beach somewhere, but it looks like I have to stick to campgrounds, is it prohibited to camp wherever you want along the beach? thanks for any info!

 

[T3C]

sounds like lots of fun..

 

[flot]

I took my Jeep out there for a day last summer. It's a blast, drove about 12 miles down the beach, saw lots of wild horses etc. There were few/no mosquitos on the beach but inland they were out of control - I made the mistake of driving down some trail and almost instantly there were 300 mosquitos in the Jeep with me. Somewhere there is some really funny videotape of me flailing around screaming while driving... In fact I think I remember hearing someone at the welcome center commenting on the fact that the mosquito population was so bad. (again this was last year, so ??)

I didn't see anyone actually camping *on* the beach... I know they had campgrounds, don't know how they work. I was strictly interested in driving out there and just hanging out for the day. Of course the pass to drive on the beach (for a year) was like $90. Also of course this isn't like Daytona, you drive on the beach only if you have a capable 4wd vehicle - and even a number of those get stuck. As far as I know you can fish/swim/etc wherever you want. I really don't know anything about camping - but if you just want to go to the beach.. make sure you hit Ocean City, just a few miles away.

 

[AvesPKS]

You know, that's funny...I was thinking of going camping down there this weekend, too. I'm coming from Southern Maryland, though, so it might be too much of a drive. I would also be interested in any impressions anyone has to offer.

 

[yukichigai]

I know someone named Teague, though I have never been near that region of his body.

 

[lozina]

Originally posted by: flot
I took my Jeep out there for a day last summer. It's a blast, drove about 12 miles down the beach, saw lots of wild horses etc. There were few/no mosquitos on the beach but inland they were out of control - I made the mistake of driving down some trail and almost instantly there were 300 mosquitos in the Jeep with me. Somewhere there is some really funny videotape of me flailing around screaming while driving... In fact I think I remember hearing someone at the welcome center commenting on the fact that the mosquito population was so bad. (again this was last year, so ??)

I didn't see anyone actually camping *on* the beach... I know they had campgrounds, don't know how they work. I was strictly interested in driving out there and just hanging out for the day. Of course the pass to drive on the beach (for a year) was like $90. Also of course this isn't like Daytona, you drive on the beach only if you have a capable 4wd vehicle - and even a number of those get stuck. As far as I know you can fish/swim/etc wherever you want. I really don't know anything about camping - but if you just want to go to the beach.. make sure you hit Ocean City, just a few miles away.

Cool, thanks for the info! Yeah I was reading about those wild horses, supposedly they try to bite you! :Q I wish I had a good 4x4 to drive on the beach, but I'll just hike along the shore with my feet in the water! So I'll try to stick to the beach to avoid those mosquitos, maybe now I'll also bring some head netting just in case... Now if only someone who has camped there can tlel me what it's like

 

[lozina]

Originally posted by: AvesPKS
You know, that's funny...I was thinking of going camping down there this weekend, too. I'm coming from Southern Maryland, though, so it might be too much of a drive. I would also be interested in any impressions anyone has to offer.

Non-sense! I'll be driving from northern New Jersey! I always wanted to see what it's like to camp on a beach.. nice soft sand under your tent instead of sharp rocks and knotted tree roots! And to wake up to the sounds and smell of the sea must be priceless! Maybe if I'm lucky I can catch a Sea Bass or dig for some clams and have a good fresh dinner too!

 

[WhiteKnight]

I was there for a week last summer and the mosquitos were completely out of control. On the beach there's enough breeze to keep them down, though there are some flies that fly within the first foot or two of the sand. I ended up climbing up into a lifeguard chair after the guard left to avoid the flies. Other than that, it was really nice. I stayed in a house on Chincoteague that was right on a little inlet. There is a great ice cream place, but unfortunately I can't remember the name right now. Anyway, it was a lot of fun.

Edit: I did walk around Assateague a little bit and went right up to some of the ponies. None of them tried to bite me.

 

[AvesPKS]

Any other responses?

Oh, and as for mosquitoes...I went camping last weekend at Point Lookout in MD, and I still have, oh, say, at least 80 bites all over my body.