Best RV Parks & Resorts near Assateague Island National Seashore, MD

h pull throughat witWe stayed here last weekend in our Class C RV. Hook up was 30 amp with water. Few dump stations within park. D loop was gr sites. There was a little kakay launch right onto the water. Great state park, I run here all the time but never camped here. Bath house/bathrooms we all good. No complaints, and the price is right at about $25/night.

We don’t always pick campgrounds for their spacious sites and scenic views. BUT we do pick them based on the outdoor activities we can do from the campground itself via bike riding or walking. Since we don’t bring a car location is very important to us.

This private campground is in a fantastic location. Waking distance to stores, water slide park, kayaking, fishing/crabbing from bridges and Biking distance to Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge & Assateague Island National Seashore . There is even a complimentary trolley that will take you to the beach during the “in season”.

You can rent kayaks and bikes from this resort. There is a pool, jumping pillow, and playground. The water park adjacent cost an additional fee. They have 3 day passes and after 3pm packages. (You May also get a discount from KOA front desk)

The campground- tight and efficient with a lot of options for staying here from little cabins safari style tent cabins, rental Rv’s, grassy tent area to full hook up rv sites. We had a premium RV site and since we were here off season in late April- the campground was not super busy. Just expect that you will be in very close proximity of your neighbors and it will be loud and boisterous in the evening. Our solution?? Hike and Bike all day so you are exhausted. That way after dinner and a couple of glasses of wine... you really don’t care.

We came here specifically to experience the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Assateague Island VA National Seashore and the parks did not disappoint. We biked and hiked the the parks but you can easily enjoy a lot of the sites via car. Just know that pets are NOT allowed. There are Ubers in this area. Here is a link to the trail and park map.
https://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Region_5/NWRS/South_Zone/Chincoteague_Complex/Chincoteague/Chincoteague%20Refuge%20Trail%20Map%20(1).pdf

There is a fee of $10 per car for 7 day pass. Bikers and Pedestrians get in free. (The fee gets you into both parks).

Happy Camping! Pamela and Keith

Very large RV resort. Seemed like they were mostly seasonal campers/RVs/tiny houses. Campsites were a reasonably good size, but close together. We were able to fit our 32 ft. Camper, a truck, a car and a tent on our site with ease. We backed onto red beard lake so we felt more isolated than some of the other sites (but also didn't have any shade).we enjoyed fishing in the stocked lake, caught some bass and large brim. Onsite ice cream/general store and laundry. Bath houses close every 2 hours for cleaning (Covid rules). Also, they have 2 pools and a splash pad but due to Covid they are only open for 2 hour time slots and you must get passes. People line up at 8am to get passes but I was able to go to the front desk in the afternoon to get passes for the afternoon/evening swims. Large play ground with jumping pillow and bounce house was a hit with the kids. Also had a beach front stage and fishing/boating/crabbing dock. Lots of golf carts zooming around. Staff was very friendly and helpful, park was clean. 5 minutes to Fenwick island beach, and great waterfront restaurants across the street.

This was a very nice campground close to the beach. Full hook up sites and pull-through. The only negative was how bad it smelled from all the dead horseshoe crabs!

We took our first trip in our new pop up here. I will begin by saying we like a clean cut, family style and less of a party drinking style of camping. The things we liked were: We could take our dogs, the staff was nice, good hook ups for our pop up, they had a beautiful pool and splash pad, loved the goats, deer and ducks in the pond, close to the beach and nicely wooded. Things we didn't like: The bath houses were a bit gross, we were in the center of many long term RVs and the night time language of many around our site was definitely NOT family friendly to say it nicely, unfortunately their camp store and amenities were all closed for renovations which couldn't be helped on their part, the park staff pretty much let anything go for conduct which is not what we are used to or comfortable with.

Things went ok and it looks like they are improving the place which is great but we probably won't be back because the atmosphere was just not our style.

Park Name-Delaware Seashore State Park

Date of Stay-June 2018

Site-237

This is one of favorite local parks! The location (in between Dewey/Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach/Ocean City, Maryland) is PERFECT. You have close access to miles and miles of touristy beaches and uninhabited beaches. From the campground you can walk less than a 1/4 of a mile to get to the beach.

Even though this park is run by The State of Delaware or a subsidiary agency the park is well maintained, the sites are level. All of the RV sites are full hook up and level. If you have a larger vehicle make sure you bring your “A” game when it comes to parking and pulling out as the interior roads are a little bit tight.

Even though they don’t have the staffing levels of a KOA…there was always someone “official” around who could answer questions or help out if needed.

If you are able…try to book a site on the newer side (sites 400-480)…the sites are WIDE and DEEP

Amazing views and fantastic beach! A fisherman’s perfect campground right on the inlet. Full hook up sites, bathhouses and laundry on site as well.

Dogs are allowed on the Northern inlet beach but not the Southern. Only drawback was high winds and a swampy smell.

Whether you love camping in your RV or a tent, Assateague Island National Seashore is an incredible place to visit. From the docile wild ponies on the beach, to the gorgeous sunrise every morning, to being able to see the Milky Way with the naked eye, there is no shortage of sights to see here. The showers and bathrooms on campsite are clean and comfortable, and the rangers are amazing and helpful. At night, there are hundreds of ghost crabs to see scurrying about. You can also spend a day in Ocean City, Maryland or head down to Chincoteague for the best ice cream you'll ever have! Arguably the best camping trip I've ever been on.

Cape henlopen is one of five or six Delaware state parks that offer RV camping. Sites vary in size so make sure you check the details before you book. Using their online campground map along with google earth will give you a pretty good idea. Water and electric hookups only. There are 3 dump stations as you exit the park which is really nice. I have never had to wait. Most sites offer good shade by the local pine trees. Nice bike trails and hiking through the dunes. They even offer free bike rentals. Clean bath houses as well. If they had Full hookups I would give 5 stars (I am spoiled I know).

This is a state campground on both sides of Indian River inlet. The south side is more set up for tent camping and the north side is newer and more rv oriented. 

The sites are close together and pretty wide open, but this isn't unusual this close to the beach. Literally a couple hundred yards walk to tje beach. Nearly new bath houses, and shore fishing along the inlet. The south side probably has the better beach facility, but your car pass gets you into any Delaware State Park facility free. We went down to Fenwick Island to meet up with friends. An easy 5 min drive. Full hook ups, clean and well maintained, super friendly staff.

Assateague National Seashore on the Maryland side offers an incredible experience. 

Along with soft sand, balmy breezes and coastal views, wild horses wander the park at will.

We chose a campsite that did not require hiking onto the sand to reach. This made setting up camp much easier as no carrying was involved. We were early enough in the seasons that the mosquitoes hadn't kicked in yet, so it was an enjoyable stay. 

The restroom facilities are primitive. with a dump toilet, and exterior showers with warmish water. To turn on the shower water, one has to hold down a line to get it to run.

There was a good mix of tents and a variation of camper trailers on both the oceanside and bayside camp areas. The camper trailers are boondocking as no hookups are offered at this campground.

I find the restrooms on the bayside to be better, but in the warmer months, be prepared for lots of mosquitoes in that area.

The horses do their rounds in the morning for breakfast and in the evenings for dinner. DO NOT FEED THE HORSES  ! They are rather aggressive and persistent. KEEP ALL FOOD LOCKED UP IN YOUR CAR! They are Houdini's and have no trouble opening up any types of coolers with either their mouths or their hooves. There is a storage cubby below the picnic table - use it. 

The best way to shoo them away from your campsite is to bring a metal water bottle with small rocks in it. Shake it at them and they know to move along. It's what the rangers use to get them to move.

To reserve use recreation.gov

We stayed in a full hook up site, and we found the campground to be clean, well maintained and so close to the beach. You can walk to the beach from the campground, and the beach has a restaurant, bar, showers, and a nice seating area/hammock seats. The campground itself has no trees, and the sites are a little close together, but it is bearable for access to the beach. There is room to sit outside, large picnic tables and enough private space. We did not use the bathhouses, and my brother in law went to the camp store and reported it was basic, but it is a state park. There is a really nice playground. There are no fires permitted at the sites, but there is a communal fire pit (may be more than one - not sure). We were at the South Park location. It is very close to Rehobeth the town and surrounding areas.

We stayed at this campground to be close to Ocean City for Ocean Calling music festival in September 2024...It is a great family rv Park...Lots of amenities...clean...close to OC or Historic Berlin...After the in-season fee and lock site fee...our nightly overall cost was $145...I will stay again next year if we attend the music festival. Only 4 stars b/c the showers need upgrading.

The really great aspect of Delaware Seashore State Park is your close proximity to the water. The park is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian River, and Indian River Bay. The park has two separate campgrounds divided by the Indian River Inlet. We stayed at the southern campground but both are similar with regards to the hook-ups, sites, and proximity to the water. Both campgrounds are wide open with no shade. Pads are paved but patios and area between sites is sandy with a little bit of grass. If you don’t like sand, this is not the place for you. 

We were there in April so it wasn’t very crowded and temperatures were cool so we didn’t mind the lack of shade. Some campsites are open year-round and can accommodate various camping units from tents to 45’ RVs offering back-ins and pull thrus. Roads are fairly narrow and paved campsites barely fit big rigs as we had just a few feet to spare but were able to park the car in the sand/grass so it was not a problem. Most campsites have 30- and 50-amp electric, and water and sewer hook-ups. There are also no hook-up and tent sites. There are bathhouses with free showers scattered throughout the park and laundry facilities. Since we were there in the off-season only one bathhouse was open. There are no fire pits at your site but two community fire pits are located on the outskirts of the campground. Our over the air antenna picked up a dozen or so television channels and we had no problem getting cell or internet service with our Verizon phone. 

Full hook-up sites range from $30-$55/night depending on if you are a resident and what day of the week you are there. No hook-up sites are available from $25-$50/night and tent sites range from $20-$35/night. We inquired about a senior discount and received it after a phone call to them. The south campground is about a half mile from the ocean access where there are two full-service restaurants(which were both closed when we were there). The beach is wide and great for walking on and dogs are permitted during certain times of the year. If you like to fish this is a great place for surf fishing in the Atlantic and bank fishing in the Inlet River. If you have personal watercraft, there is access to the marsh and bay directly from the park. 

Near the north campground is a full-service marina with a bait and tackle shop, fish and seafood sales, and a short hiking trail. Just up the road is the Indian River Life Saving Station with a visitor center, museum and gift shop. Continue on up to the road and you will pass through the small town of Dewey Beach. Keep going another mile or so and you enter Rehoboth Beach where you will find everything you need(and don’t need). Rehoboth Beach is a typical beach town with everything from t-shirts to taffy and a mile-long boardwalk. If you are a beer lover there are plenty of breweries to choose from ranging from the smaller craft breweries like the Dewey Beer Company to the larger producer Dogfish Head..

This was the second time we went here. Last year, we really enjoyed our stay. Chincoteague is a beautiful area, with lots to do. This year, the price has more than doubled. Their excuse is that now that they have a Waterpark, they are now a KOA Resort. All well and good if you are looking for that type of thing, but the campground has changed as well. The sites are smaller and closer together. Full hookup only means electric, water and sewer. Although many sites have CATV, not all do. Speaking of sewer, a mild rainstorm during the night caused the septic system to overflow, inundating many of the campsites with black water. When I spoke to one of the camp employees, his reply was that the storm water runs into the septic system, and there isn’t anything they can do about it. I have never experienced this in any other campground. Most of the camp employees are very kind and helpful, but the office staff is indifferent. If you go, check your site before accepting it - most RV/trailer sites are fine unless it storms. There is lots to do in the area, and many great restaurants on the island. Be sure to check out Mr. Whippys! Restrooms and laundry are well maintained.

Love this DE state park! 5 different loops. One for all tenting, loop E. One with all pull-through sites, loop D. Three with back in spots, loops A-C. If you want quiet, stay in loop D. This was a full weekend and a bit crowded. We had an end site facing the pond (C 20). Very level sites BUT a lot of trees in the way when parking your RV. Most spots have tight areas to maneuver into with trees and hookup posts on either side. We saw several we couldn’t believe they parked without hitting a tree. Lots of trails to hike and boat rentals; canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, pontoon boat, and I think a row boat. It’s located in lower DE near the MD line. There’s a walkway between all loops to connect them and easily walkable. Has electric and water hookups.

Had a fantastic time camping here. The "primitive camping" is not primitive. It is a grass area behind the rv park very very visible to the RV's that are backed up to it. Very surprising once we got there. But, still fun to set up a tent and hang with friends! We met another couple there Blake and Kate from WV and had to leave before saying bye so hope they see this one day! The water was warm and you can rent kayaks which is so fun. The only thing is, when the sun goes down the snakes come out on the water, we had a few encounters and just decided to hang back at our campsite. Again, awesome family spot, live music was great!!!! Just wasn't expecting to be so close to other people that weren't in primitive as well. Overall experience was sweet!

Really awesome site with full hookups right near town and a beautiful bridge. Clean facilities,  we highly recommend it if you're in the area. No problem fitting our 18ft RV and my inlaws join with their 30ft RV as well.

We like camping on the beach and this park does not disappoint. The beaches here are t nearly as crowded and busy as further south in MD. The sites here aren’t as close to the beach as the similar Assateague, and the sites here feel more crowded together and exposed. It feels more like a nice beachside RV park than state park campground, and that’s ok. You came here for the beach, and there is a very nice one right on site. The bathhouses were mostly clean, but could definitely use updating. The staff was very friendly. In fact, I noted how helpful and empathetic the staff was when we had a minor issue we had to call about. If you are looking for a nice and affordable beach getaway, this might be the place for you.

BOTTOM LINE: Assateague State Park was a fantastic family tent camping experience. 

BACKGROUND: We camped with our then-3 year old for two nights in early-October 2022 and stayed on the J Loop (walk-in tent camping only). The temp was low-40s to mid-60s, clear skies, slight continuous breeze. 

• Key equipment: Nemo Wagontop 6-person tent, Exped MegaMat (double), ThermaRest single sleeping mat, Eureka! Ignite+ camp stove

DETAILS: Sorry for the random order of things, but here it goes...

Assateague State Park is very well-run and in great shape. Rangers are very friendly, though we interacted with a few rangers/staff who couldn't answer certain questions (but they did try to help or found someone who knew). There are also camp hosts--long-term visitors with additional responsibilities for managing camping areas--who were helpful, knowledgeable, and nice. 

The facilities are really great. Particularly the bathhouses, which were immaculate for park bathrooms/showers. Expect potable water, private shower stalls with warm water, and very clean bathrooms.

Loops A-H were too cramped for our liking.  Spaces are very close together, and it appears >75% of visitors are RV/camp trailers, so tent campers were stuck in between towering, loud vehicles. I Loop was still mostly vehicle campers, but there was a bit more space. I'd consider staying there if J Loop wasn't available.

J Loop (where we stayed) is a no-vehicle, no-generator area. It's technically a "walk-in" site, but the parking lot is about 200 feet from the loop entrance (it took about 2 mins to walk from our truck to the tent). We were able to quickly and easily carry all our gear from car to site, and still manage a toddler running around. J Loop sites are spaced-out far enough that you cannot hear each other--even during the quiet morning period or in the evening as the late-nighters stay up by their fires--but you have the comfort of knowing you're not totally alone and isolated. From J Loop sites, the walk to the beach is about 3-4 mins down a pedestrian (and horse) only sand trail. In October, the beach was effectively empty. We highly recommend J Loop for tent campers.

Tent pads are soft beach sand. Bring tent stakes made for sand! Regular piton stakes will not hold your tent in even the slightest wind. We used some plastic screw-in stakes from Amazon and they worked beautifully. Recommend 10" stakes, but you could get by with 7.5".

Sites include picnic tables (very sturdy and in very good shape), with a built-in food locker underneath the table. Lockers are not raccoon or bear proof -- just horse proof. Being so close to the beach, there's a steady light breeze all the time; and sometimes it a mild wind with slightly stronger gusts. Nothing worrisome--sand and dust were not flying in the air or anything--but for camp stove bring your wind shield, and for tents be sure to use sand stakes.

Sites also include fire rings with adjustable grills. Fire wood is sold at the ranger station, $5 per bundle. It's mostly yellow pine, which burns pretty quickly, so you'll probably go through 1-2 bundles per night, depending on your usage. After hours, firewood payments are on the honor system (cash box), or you can pay by card during business hours. Firewood sold out on our last night, so I recommend stocking up for a couple days worth of wood at a time. Sites do not have much in the way of natural shade, so if it's going to be sunny and/or if you are particularly sensitive to sunlight/burns, then consider bringing your own canopy, sun shade, or umbrella.

Weather-wise, in early October, the temperature was perfect for camping: warm enough during the day to be comfortable in pants or shorts and a long sleeve shirt, but not sweat; but cool enough to keep away all the bugs, and enjoy the warmth of a camp fire in the evening. We were able to enjoy daytime temps on the beach, and we could splash in the surf a little, but the water was way too cold to go swimming. For sleeping, this time of year I recommend a regular 3-season sleeping bag, but bring an extra warming layer if you sleep cold. (Of note, during warmer months the mosquitoes and flies can be overwhelming and oppressive. We were lucky to mitigate this by choosing a cooler time to camp.)

The Nature Center was closed while we were there, but it looked interesting -- a small building on stilts. It wouldn't be enough to fill a day, but maybe an hour or so (pending any programming the rangers might have). There was also a decent little playground, if you have kids -- but who needs a pg when you've got nature and a beach!?

From the state park, it's a short 7-10 min drive out, around, and south to the National Seashore (operated by the National Park Service). Assateague National Seashore has some nice, but short hiking trails/boardwalks, a couple historic sites, and more beach to explore. Being an entirely separate park, you will have to pay to access the Natl Seashore. To access the Chincoteague side of the national seashore, you'll have to drive the 1.5 hours back over the bridge, south to Chincoteague, and re-enter from the south entrance. You cannot get to Chincoteague (Virginia) from Assateague (Maryland).

The ranger station itself is pretty basic. They do sell ice and firewood, but not food/water/provisions, and the selection of knick-knacks was pretty scant. 

In the future, we'll probably bring our bikes so we can quickly move between the state park and national seashore (it's probably quicker and simpler than driving), and we'll definitely bring our own canopy/sun shade.

Great campground with lots to offer for families with children. Nice walking and biking trails. Trails and campground well maintained. Several beach access points and nice fishing pier. Nature center, historic military structures and watch towers. Very nice playground designed for varying ages and basketball courts. Great place for active families and those who want to relax. Only down side to RV camping is there are no sites with sewer hookups, however, bathhouses are located fairly close to most sites.