Assateague Island Map

Day 1 of 3

Check In & Hike to Little Levels · 3–4 miles

Drive over the Verrazano Bridge onto the Maryland side of Assateague and stop first at the ranger station to buy your backcountry permit and get your site assignment. Top off every water bottle here, no fresh water exists past this point, then drive to the backcountry parking lot at the end of the paved road.

4 stopsDay one

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⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

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   Drive from where are you driving from?~8 mi via MD-611 & the Verrazano Bridge · car required · Drive

   Base your weekend out of Ocean City or the historic town of Berlin, then drive south on MD-611 and over the Verrazano Bridge onto the Maryland side of Assateague. GPS units often misroute here, so download the park map ahead of time. No public transportation reaches the island, so a car is required.

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2. ⠿↑↓2Acroterion / CC BY-SA 4.0
   Ranger station check-in & permit6633 Bayberry Drive · $10/person · first-come · Viewpoint

   Stop at the Maryland ranger station to buy your backcountry permit and get your site assignment. Permits are first-come, first-served in person, $10 per person for ages 16 and up, valid up to 7 days, plus the park entrance fee. Rangers give you the tide chart and a sunset check-in cutoff based on how far your site sits.

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   Backcountry parking & water fill-upEnd of the paved road · last water source · Drive

   Drive to the backcountry parking lot at the end of the paved road and top off every bottle and reservoir at the spigot here. This is the last fresh water before you hike in, so plan at least one gallon per person per day. Lock the car and shoulder your pack for the beach.

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   Hike in to Little Levels oceanside site~4 mi south along the beach · soft sand · Hike

   Hike south along the open Atlantic beach to the Little Levels oceanside site, roughly 4 miles down the shore. There is no marked trail; the beach itself is the route. Pitch a freestanding tent behind the primary dune and store all food and scented items in a hard-sided container, away from the wild ponies.

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Day 2 of 3

Explore the Dunes, Shore & Ponies · 0–5 miles

Wake to sunrise over the Atlantic and give the day to the island itself. Walk the shoreline for shells, scan the dunes for grazing wild ponies (keep at least 40 feet back, they are wild and can kick or bite), and watch for shorebirds working the wrack line. If you reserved consecutive nights at the same site, you can day-hike light; if you were assigned a second site, move camp a short distance south.

4 stopsDay two

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⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1tramod / CC BY 2.0
   Sunrise & wild-pony watchingStay 40+ ft back · never feed the herd · Viewpoint

   Wake to sunrise over the Atlantic and scan the dunes for grazing wild ponies. Keep at least 40 feet away at all times, they are wild and can kick or bite, and never feed them. Store food locked up even during the day, since ponies raid unattended camps.

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   Beachcomb, birdwatch & swimUndeveloped shoreline · no lifeguards · Hike

   Give the day to the shoreline: walk for shells, watch shorebirds work the wrack line, and swim if the surf allows, though there are no lifeguards in the backcountry so respect the currents. Time longer walks for the outgoing tide, since high tide narrows the beach.

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3. ⠿↑↓3Notyourbroom / CC BY 3.0
   Life of the Dunes nature trailOptional short interpretive dune loop · activity

   If you day-hike light back toward the developed area, the short Life of the Dunes interpretive loop near the campground explains how the barrier island builds, migrates, and shelters its wildlife. It is an easy, flat add-on to a slow island day.

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4. ⠿↑↓4Aq279 / CC BY-SA 4.0
   Second night at Little LevelsPrimitive · no amenities · dark-sky stargazing · lodge

   Spend your second night at the primitive oceanside site. Keep practicing Leave No Trace, secure all food and trash, and enjoy the stars, the lack of light pollution makes for some of the best stargazing on the Mid-Atlantic coast. Review the tide chart for the morning hike out.

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Day 3 of 3

Hike Out & Depart · 3–4 miles

Break camp with the cool morning air and hike north along the beach back to the backcountry parking lot, retracing your line up the shore. Do a careful Leave No Trace sweep first, including micro-trash and any buried waste; the island's dune ecosystem is fragile and heavily used. A full pack in soft sand is slow, so give yourself extra time.

3 stopsDay three

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⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1Notyourbroom / CC BY 3.0
   Hike out to the backcountry lot~3–4 mi north · easier in cool morning · Hike

   Break camp early and hike north along the beach back to the parking lot, retracing your line up the shore. Do a careful Leave No Trace sweep first, including micro-trash and buried waste. Cool morning temperatures and firmer, damp sand near the tide line make the loaded walk much easier.

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2. ⠿↑↓2Notyourbroom / CC BY 3.0
   Assateague Island Visitor CenterMainland side · restrooms, water & exhibits · Viewpoint

   Cross back to the mainland and stop at the Assateague Island Visitor Center just before the bridge. It has restrooms, drinking water, and exhibits on the barrier-island ecosystem and the wild-pony herd, a good place to clean up and learn more before the drive home.

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3. ⠿↑↓3Famartin / CC BY-SA 4.0
   Lunch & stay in Berlin, MDHistoric downtown · refuel before the drive · lodge

   Refuel in Berlin, a walkable historic town just inland, or in Ocean City on the way home. A shower, a real meal, and a bed feel earned after two nights on the beach, and Berlin's downtown is an easy, charming place to wind down the trip.

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