Map of Things to Do in Chincoteague Things to Do in Chincoteague Watching the cowboys and ponies coming down the beach together on a beautiful day was quite a sight! These round-ups are in addition to the famous pony swim, which occurs each July. Twice a year, modern day cowboys round-up parts of the herd to pony pens on the island for vet check ups. Unbeknownst to us when booking the trip we were there for the Fall Pony Round-Up. With great weather, we spent most of our visit here in the Refuge. This is where the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is located, home to the famous Chincoteague Ponies. The access to the ocean though, is located one bridge away on Assateague Island. Here you will find all of the food, hotels and amenities. Take the Black Duck Trail back to your car.Chincoteague Island is a quaint seaside town.You can continue farther down the path to the Herbert Bateman Educational and Administrative Center, but there’s not much to see, so just return the way you came and get back onto the Wildlife Loop Road. Once done at the lighthouse, cross the main road to get back to the bike path.Park your bike at the parking lot and walk the short trail to see the Assateague Lighthouse. The Lighthouse Trail is located on the other side of the main road and is for hiking only.Take this to get to the Lighthouse Trail. When you return to the parking lot, to the left as you exit out of the lot and back onto the main road is another path.Definitely take this, as it takes you to a nice place to take photos. On the far right side of the lot closest to the woods is a path that leads to the Assateague Channel-I call it the Assateague Channel Trail, though it has no official name.Continue down Wildlife Loop Road until you come to a parking area.This is a hiking trail that comes out farther down the Wildlife Loop Road, so you will have to walk back to your starting point along the road. Continue around Wildlife Loop Road to the Marsh Trail.It is a short walk farther down the trail. You can park your bike and visit the beach if you want to. If you do this, the first trail you will come to is the Swan Cove Trail. You can bike the Wildlife Loop Road in either direction, but I went counterclockwise.Bike down the street from the Woodland Trail and take the Black Duck Trail to the Wildlife Loop Road.3 mile round trip, and it is the only trail that takes you to Toms Cove. Park your bike at the trailhead and walk. Bivalve Trail-this trail is a spur off of the Woodland Trail.Bike to the Woodland Trail (or drive and park in the parking lot) and bike this trail.You can actually park here and bike the Refuge, which would make the most sense. The tour takes about four hours.įirst, visit Toms Cove Visitor Center and pick up a trail map. A list of paved trails follows-please see the individual trail reports for more information.įor bikers who want to see the entire Chincoteague Refuge, or at least the part open to people (which is just the trails), I have a bike route that gets you everywhere, including the hiking trails. Because most visitors make no distinction between the Seashore and the Refuge, National Park Planner has included reviews of the trails in the Refuge, many of which are paved and open to biking. The majority of the land is part of Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, and most activities in the area fall within its borders. Officially, there isn’t much of Assateague Island National Seashore in Virginia other than the actual seashore. However, the cars in the park drive pretty slowly, so I would have no problem riding on the roads that did not have a bike lane, but I wouldn’t want my kids doing so. Drivers are now talking on phones, watching movies, and texting. I am usually not a proponent for riding a bike on the street. Past the turnoff to the Campground there is no bike lane on the main park road. The bike lanes make it as safe as possible for kids to bike to their favorite places as well. Even then, a non-separated bike lane runs to the campground and on to South Ocean Beach, making it possible to get to all beaches and the most popular campground without riding in the street. In fact, a bike lane separated from the vehicles by a wooden rail runs all the way from the Assateague Island Visitor Center on the mainland to the turnoff for the Oceanside Campground inside the park. There are no specific paved trails for biking in the Maryland section of Assateauge Island National Seashore, but you can ride on the park roads, many of which have bike lanes. A bike lane separated from the vehicle lane runs from the Visitor Center all the way to the turnoff to the Oceanside Campground
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