If you have a love for horses, the Dyrt is here to help you find where to go horse camping in Maryland. Finding a place to camp in Maryland with your horse is easier than ever. The Dyrt can help you find the perfect equestrian sites that are scenic and easy to access.
Assateague Island National Seashore is a 37-mile long barrier island on the Atlantic Coast of Maryland and Virginia. Famed for its wild horses, this barrier island is a constantly shifting ribbon of sand, altered daily by powerful wind and waves. Assateague Island, dedicated as a National Seashore on September 1, 1965, lays claim to a long and rich history. Today's visitors can explore sandy beaches, salt marshes, maritime forests, and coastal bays. Only a couple of miles wide at its broadest point, the island's terrain offers shelter to the famed wild horses as well as sika deer, ghost crabs, and migrating birds such as the great blue heron and snowy egret. Favorite recreational activites include fishing, surfing, beachcombing, swimming, and sunbathing. The Over-Sand Vehicle (OSV) Zone at Assateague Island contains miles of unspoiled beaches managed by the National Park Service to accommodate OSV enthusiasts and other beach goers. The Assateague Island National Seashore, Assateague State Park, and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge work together to manage and protect this unique, diverse strip of land. For more information visit the Assateague Island National Seashore website .
Activities are abundant on the island, with both crabbing and clamming as well as a long stretch of beach for swimming, kayaking and fishing.
Assateague Island, famed for its wild horses, lies off the Delmarva Peninsula on the Atlantic Coast. This barrier island is a constantly shifting ribbon of sand, altered daily by powerful wind and waves. The Assateague Island National Seashore, Assateague State Park, and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge each manage and protect this unique, diverse strip of land. For more information visit the Assateague Island National Seashore website .
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge offers a 14,000-acre wildlife preserve located at the southern end of Assateague Island. To the north, Assateague State Park features two miles of pristine ocean beaches. Ocean City, Maryland is only about 10 miles away with a 2.5 mile long boardwalk filled with shops, restaurants, and a wide variety of entertainment options. The historic town of Berlin is about 10 miles west of Assateague, offering many shops and restaurants.
Cancellations/Modifications: Customers can modify/cancel reservations starting 18 days after the reservation was made. Customers cancelling a reservation will be charged a $10.00 service fee. Customers wishing to modify a reservation can do so online or over the phone with Recreation.gov and may be subject to a $10.00 service fee. Late Cancellations: Customers who cancel a reservation the day before or the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee and forfeit the first nights use fee. Cancellations for a 1-night stay will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to the additional service fee. Early Departures: Customers wishing to early depart before 11am can receive a refund for that night and subsequent nights provided they are off the campsite completely by 11am. Customers wishing to early depart after 11am can receive a refund for subsequent days, but will not get a refund for the current night. ANY early departure requires that you stop at the Ranger Station to check out with the rangers or no refunds will be given. (See Need to Know)
$50 - $80 / night
Oceanside Drive-in: Tents, trailers and recreational vehicles (no hookups). Sites have a picnic table and a fire ring. Sites are $30 per night. Oceanside Walk-in: Tent-only sites, located 100-200 feet from centralized parking areas. Sites have a picnic table and a fire ring. Sites are $30 per night. Walk-in sites are closed from November 16 through March 14.
$30 / night
Tuckahoe Creek, a quiet country stream bordered for most of its length by wooded marshlands, runs through the length of the park. A 60-acre lake offers boating and fishing.
The park has 20 miles of scenic hiking, biking and equestrian trails, flat water canoeing, hunting, picnicking, as well as a recycled tire playground for children.
Activities include day camps, canoe trips, Scales & Tales presentations and displays. Each weekend, Memorial Day through Labor Day, park staff offer a number of free family activities. Check out flyers posted throughout the park or call the park office for more details.
Accessible picnic areas, visitors' center, playgrounds, restrooms, campground facilities, and hunting areas are very popular.
$21 - $70 / night
Located along the beautiful Sinepuxent Bay just five miles from Ocean City, Sun Outdoors Frontier Town (formerly Frontier Town Campround) offers an award-winning camping experience that the whole family will love! Choose from nearly 600 campsites and enjoy all the amenities we have right on site!
Relax on the Lazy River winding through the Water Park while the kids race down the waterslides. Play 18 holes of Miniature Golf amongst a peaceful setting of waterfalls and shade trees. Take a step back in time at the Western Experience, featuring our classic Wild West Shows and Native American Village. And keep in mind, we have plenty of camper-only deals! If you stay with us during peak season, you’ll receive FREE access to the Water Park and Western Theme Park.
Prefer things a bit more leisurely? Head bayside to the 200-foot-long fishing pier. Go for a kayak tour or fishing charter. Take part in our planned activities. Visit the arcade and gift shop. Stroll along the nature trails. We even havetwo dog parks for your furry family members to enjoy! And if you forget something or need a meal away from the campfire, our fully-stocked camp store, full-service restaurant and bar, and ice cream parlor are sure to fix you right up.
$18 - $77 / night
The lat/long on The Dyrt were updated 5/5/2022 to reflect what the State Forest site says is the CORRECT way to get into this campground.
Equestrian Camping
Campsites are primitive and a bathhouse is located in the center of the equestrian/special events camping loop. Equestrian Camping is roughly $30.00 per night per campsite. Make a reservation by calling 1-888-432-2267 (M-F 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) or online during the camping season (April through October). A horse is required to stay in this campground. Youth Group Camping
Youth group passes are honored. Youth group camping reservations can only be made by calling the Maryland Park Service Reservation Service at 1-888-432-2267 Make future reservations by calling 1-888-432-2267 or online. The Maryland Park Service reserves the right to restrict the maximum and minimum number of vehicles and individuals admitted under one youth group pass per visit.
Check out a map of the youth group and special event loops.Family Camping
Family camping is available from April to October. Walk-ins are not permitted in office; same day reservations are made by calling 1-888-432-2267 (M-F 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) or online (24/7).
Check out a map of the Family Camping Area.$30 / night
$10 - $55 / night
A primitive camping area is available for overnight stays. Anglers can bottom fish for sea trout, croaker, spot, flounder or bluefish. Crabbing is also possible.
Need wide-open space to unwind while enjoying some locally crafted wine and beer? We've got you! Our farm has 30 private acres of open fields, rolling terrain, wooded areas, and a running stream for wading and exploring. We are a scenic and easy 10 min drive from I-70 New Market, MD. Hang out with family and friends at your private campsite or enjoy music and libations at one of the many local wineries/breweries- most have weekend music festivals and food trucks during spring, summer, and fall months. Located in walking distance(1 mile) to Linganore Winery and Red Shedman Brewery, we are centrally located to eight other wineries and breweries that are an easy ten minute drive through scenic Frederick County farmland. Hiking more your thing? The Appalachian Trail is a mere 30 min drive and the historic C&O Canal(great for biking, jogging, hiking, and horseback riding) is a 30 min drive as well. Kayaking, tubing, rafting, and horseback riding are available in historic Harper's Ferry(35 mins) too. While there, you can check out the local shops, the C&O canal, hiking trails, and a self-guided tour of John Brown's Raid. There are plenty of local creameries(working dairy farms selling homemade ice cream, cheeses, and more) and farmer's markets for fresh farm to table fruits, veggies, and meats. Fine dining, history, and quaint antique stores more your thing? We've got you there too! Historic Mount Airy(10 mins) has lots of specialty shops and some farm to table restaurants, New Market(10 mins) has a plethora of quaint antiques stores, and Frederick(20 mins) has lots and lots of speciality shops and farm to table restaurants. Take a walk back in time with us when agriculture and farming reigned supreme!
Guide
I love this campground very much. I called the office book my reservation, the representative put me in Acorn loop.
When I arrived by the late evening, there are only two camper in a huge site. Then I drove to Butterfly loop, this site have much more peoples, some camper tell me, the Ranger will coming soon; finally the ranger help me move my site into the Butterfly loop. From my experience, better book campsite by yourself online, then you have an idea this site how many occupancy.
Traveler
Did stay here after visting Vicksburg. Nice clean restrooms and showers. Friendly hostess and we had a nice shady spot, what was great with a heat of 94F.
Guide
We were looking to explore Maryland's Eastern Shore and picked Tuckaho because they had electric sites available. We were so pleased with our stay. The campground is well maintained and the sites are great. We have a small travel trailer and our site was pretty level and nicely private. We backed up to a hiking trail which was nice. There's lots to do here. There's a disc golf course and the camp store has discs available to use. We've never played before but had a blast learning, now we're hooked. We also enjoyed kayaking on the lake. If you enjoy birding this park is great, we saw so many cool birds. There's an arboretum and horse riding trails. We will definitely be going back!
Guide
If you can make it their Halloween season is awesome. It usually lasts every weekend through October. Lots of activities for the kids.
Guide
I grew up here and the beach camping is awesome if you have a self contained vehicle that is 4x4. A permit is required but it's for 12 months. Beware if the wind is out of the west the bugs are vicious.
RangerWe go here when we want to just chill. It's a good place to do that. Site are nice and large and it's an enjoyable place to just go, burn wood and listen to nature. Fairly quiet when we were there!
TravelerLots of trails. Pretty busy with Hunters during the season. Roosters here
GuideAssateague 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
GuideBeautiful spot on the beach. Wild ponies visit your site. They’ll get into everything so make sure you have everything put up and away lol. The beach is a short walk from your site. Beaches are clean and beautiful. Bathrooms are quite nice with great showers and hot water. Short drive to OC beach and boardwalk.
ScoutThis was our first visit to this park and we really loved it. We stayed in a tent site which included a fire ring and picnic table, and we had two tents and plenty of space for everything. While we were there, I believe all of the cabins were full and some other tent sites reserved, but the grounds were still very quiet and peaceful. The bathrooms and showers were modern and very clean and looked to be only a brief, flat walk from most of the sites/cabins in the loop. The loops were smaller than I expected, but that wasn't a bad thing. There is also a large sink on one side of the bathhouse which was nice for cleaning up after cooking. AT&T phone service was slow but available. While in the area, we also visited WorkHorse Farm for a tour, First Fruits Orchard for PYO blueberries, and Denton Station antique mall.
GuideWe love this campground. We’ve stayed twice in the electric loop and both times had a quiet stay. The campsites are typically spacious and spaced out well. Bathrooms are clean. There is so much to do right in this area as well. Lots of hiking. We highly recommend the nearby arboretum and don’t miss the opportunity to see the aviary at the park office. The ranger was so nice there and went in to each enclosure to handle and show us owls, eagles, and falcons. A highlight of the trip!
LegendWe stayed here in March and loved it! The little office had a few items for sale but the woman who works there is so nice. We talked with her for awhile. There was a small lending library next to the store/office and wood was for sale too. There are sites that aren’t level but ours was okay. Nearby is St. Michael’s, MD. We went to the Eastern Shore Brewing Company where dogs are allowed indoors and then went next door to the Lyon Rum Windon Distilling Company. Also next to those is St. Michael’s winery tasting room. Something for everyone! There is an arboretum near he campground that was interesting too. Lake Tuckahoe is available to put your own canoe or kayak in or go fishing. There was a trail from the campground to the lake that was gravel. Eastern shore of t huh Chesapeake Bay offers lots of great scenery and things to do.
TravelerQuiet & relaxing weekend. The park is small and beautiful and clean. Sites are of decent size and the fire ring had a cooking grate. Very little traffic.
ScoutYou can't literally walk a couple of hundred yards over the sand dunes to the ocean. There are pit toilets and outdoor showers available nearby.
Scout
This is one of my favorite Western Maryland hideaways. The best spots are in the woods adjacent to the stream. You can set up your camp chair and enjoy the creek sounds. The camp sites next to the reservoir have no privacy but offer extremely easy access for canoes/kayaks. Clean and well maintained. The camp store nearby offers a good selection of basics along with boat rentals
Guide
I was fortunate to have gorgeous weather in November. I stayed in campsite B31 Bayside and it was nice. The B loop does not allow generators, so it is definitely more peaceful. Next time I’ll plan ahead and reserve either a Bayside spot on the water side or an Oceanside spot.
The check in is very straightforward and the rangers are super helpful and kind. The rules are definitely enforced here and I appreciate that very much as it makes the experience much more pleasant.
The wild horses are amazing, but please heed the warnings about how brazen they can be if you leave food out. They WILL raid your site.
I took advantage of the beach off road access and it was incredible-highly recommend it if you have a high clearance 4WD vehicle.
Scout
Forested campground with fairly lengthy but level (and thus beginner friendly) hiking just a short distance away from Washington, DC.
If you’ve forgotten anything you can pop on by the Target or Costco right outside the forest.
Also, you can purchase wood while checking in and the Rangers don’t mind if you take a bit extra. Just bring your own starters and kindling (or a small hatchet/saw).
Planes do occasionally fly over the area so consider bringing earplugs if you are a sensitive sleeper. The noise wasn’t really noticeable when I went on a Saturday (the neighboring campsite’s dogs were louder).
TravelerWe stayed here in the family campground for 3 nights in mid-October. The sites are very small and you sit very close to the camp loop road. Our site was #16 and it was very flat and easy to back a 30’ RV into. Most of the sites have very little distance between them. You’re really on top of your neighbors at this place! We didn’t see a camp host until we left on Monday. The bath house was pretty clean but out of TP frequently (both mens and womens rooms.) There is no camp sink, which was a bummer. There are lots of water spigots around the loop, however. Plenty of firewood when we arrived Friday night, but was totally gone by Saturday morning when we took the dog out at 7am. It was mostly replenished by Saturday night. No kindling, however, just the logs. $5 per crate (honor box, cash only of course.) The ranger station was closed when we arrived and when we left so we couldn’t check out the nature center. There are some really nice trails accessible from the loop. Dog friendly! We’ll stay here again if nowhere else is available, but it’s just too tight of a campground for our taste.
GuideOverall we had a wonderful stay. The campground is huge and I suggest renting a golf cart (if you don't have one) to unlock the full potential of the grounds.
It was bike week so the campground was a bit more lively than we anticipated but that was more on us for not double checking the events calendar. All the bikers and their families were solid people. One guy even let my son borrow his fishing rod and bait the one evening and just told us to return it after we were done.
It was off season so the waterpark was closed and things were winding down. We knew that to be the case so no knock there. We keep busy on our golf cart rental taking scenic drives, heading to the pier to crab and fish, and a few spirited games of ice hockey in the arcade.
The campground is at a great location to either head towards Assateague Island or Ocean City. We normally stay in Ocean City over the summer in July so we chose to explore more of the Assateague side. With that said, Route 611 has a lot to offer if you have the time to explore.
Assateague Surf Shop - amazing breakfast
Sinepuxent Brewing - great beer and smoked pull pork
The Shrimp Boat - tasty seafood takeout
Assateague Island State Park - beautiful beach and park
My only major con was the trash removal at 5 or 6AM!! It sounded like the trash truck and dumpster were inside our camper. I think that only occurred 2 mornings but it was more than enough. - minus a half star
Also the pricing is a bit outrageous. For all the work you put into set up and prep just to pay close to what you would for a mid level hotel stay is kinda insane. Stayed from Thursday to Monday and it was right around or above the $500 mark for ONLY electric and water hookups. - minus a half star
Overall we had a very enjoyable time as a family and that was the goal.
GuideI had an ocean front tent site. You park and walk in. I may pick a drive up site next time because hauling all of my equipment over the sand took several trips. Was there for the sound of the ocean and beautiful sunrises, which was amazing, and several horses came through. I never used the bathhouses (bring my own camp toilet and camp shower bag) but they have very simple facilities and water pumps at each loop. It was very windy at times (my tent didn’t make the trip home RIP) and you must have deep screw in tent anchors for the sand. Regular tent stakes don’t work. There is a store a few miles outside of the park where they sell basic camping and fishing equipment, food, snacks, firewood etc. I really enjoyed having a campfire in the ring provided at every tent site. There is nothing like having a fire on the beach at sunset. 
GuideThe Bayside Campground at Assateague is a large and crowded campground with precious little shade- but the trade off is absolutely spectacular stargazing.
We stayed one night in site #28- we initially were extremely disappointed with our site because of the lack of shade and the overall lack of friendliness towards dogs in the park. It was difficult to do anything with our dog because he wasn’t allowed anywhere and it was too warm to leave him in the car, and too warm for us to sit in the car with him- especially at the campsite, hence the problem with there not being any shade.
But we were absolutely delighted to find that the stargazing from our campsite that night was phenomenal. Our neighbor seemed to be aware that this would be the case- he had a whole telescope set up! We stayed up for a couple hours and watched the skies overhead. It was also very cool to watch the ponies walk through our campsite.
There are a handful of sites at this campground that I would consider booking again, but based on the lack of shade and activities to do with our dog in the park, we would not return to Assateague any time soon.
GuideWonderful experience at an oceanfront site. Beautiful view from among the dunes and during my time there, horses came by to visit 1-2 times a day. Parking area, pit toilets and shower stalls are a 3-4 minute walk from the oceanfront sites. Bring your bug spray…..otherwise a magical experience!
GuideI’ve been coming to Assateague since I was a few months old and I can honestly say I never get tired of it’s beauty!
There is plenty of beach to swim and roam, You’ll have no problems running into wild ponies and they’re babies! Just don’t feed or get close to them, they are definitely WILD!
There is plenty of RV, Tent and van camping dispersed throughout the park in designated areas, You can get a camp pass at the main gate.
There is on beach camping as well as camping spots with picnic tables and fire rings, Bathroom and shower houses as well. Quiet park and it’s ALSO One of the best star observatory spots in the US!
You won’t regret coming here, On your way in or out check out the amazing local produce farm Assateague Farms for all kinds of organic fresh picked snacks!
GuideWould have enjoyed it more if it weren’t for the bugs. Had to be covered head to toe in order to attempt to not get bit. Will have to try again in the fall!
GuideThere is a lot to do the water park is good and the lazy river is nice and big the Wild West shows are great. It’s a bit expensive but all in all it’s a great place for family that just wants to get way for a few days
TravelerGreat for the kids always something to do
TravelerCamping on the beach with wild horses