Wild horses walk right through Maryland’s only ocean beach and have for 350 years

They’ve been here 350 years

You drive past Ocean City, cross a bridge onto a barrier island, and everything changes. The boardwalk crowds disappear.

The dunes take over. And somewhere between the parking lot and the shoreline, you might spot a horse standing in the surf.

Assateague State Park sits on 855 acres of Maryland’s Atlantic coast, and it’s the only oceanfront state park in the state.

The wild horses get most of the attention, but they’re just the start of what this island has going on.

A 37-mile barrier island off the Eastern Shore

Assateague Island stretches 37 miles with the Atlantic on one side and Sinepuxent Bay on the other. The state park covers 855 acres of it, including two miles of ocean beach.

Maryland established the park in 1965 during the same negotiations that created the adjoining national seashore.

The name itself comes from an Algonquian word meaning “swiftly moving water,” and once you see how the tides pull through the inlet, you’ll get why it stuck.

How the horses ended up on a barrier island

Wild horses have roamed Assateague for roughly 350 years.

The most accepted explanation says settlers brought them here in the late 1600s to dodge fencing laws and livestock taxes on the mainland.

A popular legend blames a Spanish shipwreck, and a 2022 DNA study gave that story some weight.

Researchers matched a 16th-century horse tooth from Haiti to the Assateague herd as its closest living genetic relative. Technically, these horses are feral, meaning domestic animals that went wild over generations.

The Maryland herd roams right through camp

About 70 to 80 horses live on the Maryland side of the island.

A fence along the state line keeps them separate from the Virginia herd, and the National Park Service manages this group. The horses go wherever they want, through the campground, across the beach, into the marshes.

You’ll see them grazing between tents and walking the shoreline. Stay at least 40 feet back, about the length of a school bus.

And never feed them. It makes them sick.

Two miles of sand with room to spread out

The beach runs two miles along wide, sandy shore backed by natural dunes. You can swim, surf, fish, or just sit.

Lifeguards work the beach from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Ocean City sits about nine miles north, and the difference is immediate.

No high-rises. No crowds elbowing for towel space.

Shells and sand dollars wash up on the regular, so bring a bag if you like beachcombing. The sand here feels like it belongs to you.

Paddle the bay and watch for horses from the water

Sinepuxent Bay runs calm and shallow along the island’s west side, and it’s perfect for kayaking.

You can launch from the soft-entry point at the State Park Marina and paddle into secluded coves and salt marshes full of birds and deer.

Kayaking is one of the best ways to see wild horses up close without crowding them.

Outfitters near the park run guided tours during the warmer months if you’d rather have someone show you the good spots.

Walk through a tree tunnel to the bay

The Rackliffe Trail loops 1.5 miles behind the visitor center through mainland forest, bayberry groves, and freshwater ponds. Part of it passes through a natural tunnel of trees that opens to views of Sinepuxent Bay.

At the marina, the Living Shoreline Trail covers a quarter mile along a restored marsh. Over on the national seashore side, three short nature trails cut through forest, marsh, and dune habitat.

A paved bike path runs about four miles along Bayberry Drive if you want to cover more ground.

Over 200 bird species fly through here

Assateague sits on the Atlantic Flyway, one of the major migration routes in North America. More than 200 bird species have been documented on the island.

You’ll spot ospreys, great blue herons, egrets, and sandpipers without even trying. Bald eagles and peregrine falcons pass through too.

The National Audubon Society designated the island an Important Bird Area, and spring and fall bring the biggest variety. Bring binoculars.

You’ll use them more than your phone.

Sika deer hide in the marsh while dolphins cruise offshore

Sika deer showed up on Assateague in the 1920s when someone brought them from Asia. They stand about two and a half to three feet tall and stick to the thick marshlands.

Native white-tailed deer live here too but prefer different habitat. Out past the breakers, Atlantic bottlenose dolphins cruise the ocean waters regularly.

On the beach at night, ghost crabs scatter across the sand.

Fiddler crabs, blue crabs, horseshoe crabs, and dozens of fish species fill the waters around the island.

A 1740s plantation house still stands on the bay

Captain Charles Rackliffe built this house in the 1740s on his 1,700-acre plantation overlooking Sinepuxent Bay. The Flemish bond brickwork with glazed headers is the kind of detail you don’t see anymore.

It’s reportedly the only colonial tidewater dwelling of its kind open to the public in the Mid-Atlantic.

Docent-led tours run May through October and cover colonial life, the enslaved people who lived there, and local Native American history. The grounds stay open year-round, sunrise to sunset.

Cast a line or grab a crab net

Surf fishing along the ocean beach pulls in flounder, spot, sea trout, rockfish, bluefish, and red drum depending on the season.

Over at the State Park Marina, you’ll find a fishing pier and two boat ramps on Sinepuxent Bay.

Clamming and crabbing are both allowed in designated areas, and you don’t need a license for recreational clamming in Maryland waters. You do need a saltwater fishing license for finfish.

Blue crabs, clams, and other shellfish fill the bayside shallows.

Sleep behind the dune and wake up to the ocean

The campground holds 345 sites, every one of them on the ocean side just behind the primary dune. Each site comes with a picnic table and fire ring.

Select loops have electric hookups. Bathhouses with flush toilets and hot showers sit throughout the campground.

The season runs late April through late October. If you or someone in your group needs a beach wheelchair, the Ranger Station lends them out free on a first-come basis. You fall asleep to the sound of waves here.

Touch a horseshoe crab at the Nature Center

The Nature Center runs aquariums stocked with native marine life, from crabs and seahorses to horseshoe crabs and fish. It stays open daily from mid-June through Labor Day.

The park’s interpretive programs include guided kayak tours, clamming lessons, animal encounters, and arts and crafts. The Scales and Tales program lets you meet resident animals face to face.

Every New Year’s Day, the park hosts its First Day Hike, a tradition that started over 40 years ago when two local women organized a beach walk.

Visit Assateague State Park in Maryland

You’ll find Assateague State Park at 7307 Stephen Decatur Highway in Berlin, Maryland. The park stays open year-round from 7 a.m. to sunset for day use.

It shares the island with Assateague Island National Seashore, which adds more trails, camping, and beach access on the federal side.

The nearby town of Berlin has locally owned inns, restaurants, art galleries, and live music if you want to extend your trip. Ocean City is about nine miles north for boardwalk food and amusements.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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