The Dyrt can help you find the perfect horse camping site near Onancock. Finding a place to stay in Virginia while traveling with your horse is easy. The Dyrt can help you find the perfect equestrian sites that are scenic and easy to access.
$30 - $47 / night
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
$4200 / night
$35 - $159 / 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
CBTEA is a private, waterfront campground resort. Lot owners may build permanent camping additions, room enclosure and even cottages. The Association is governed by Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws, and Covenants and managed by five directors.
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.
Campground accessible for horses and riders to camp overnightADA Access: All visitor centers, most nature trails, bathhouses and wayside exhibits are accessible. America the Beautiful - Access Pass National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass This is a free, lifetime pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States that have been medically determined to have a permanent disability. The pass provides access to, and use of, Federal recreation sites that charge an Entrance or Standard Amenity fee. It replaces the Golden Access Pass. Golden Access passes may be exchanged free of charge. Beach wheelchairs with balloon tires are available for use on the oceanside beaches in Maryland and Virginia. For more information please check at the Ranger Station in Maryland (410-641-3030). Service animals are allowed in National Parks. For a definition of a service animal please visit www.ada.gov/service\_animals\_2010.htm
Scout
Me and a friend came in on motorcycles and stayed in the primitive tent sites and had a great time. Stayed a few weeks before Halloween and there were plenty of festive activities going on.
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.
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
TravelerWe stayed in water view 13 and it was a the perfect site. A little far for the kiddo to be at the park but the view was great, the Wi-Fi worked well, and the pull through site was perfect for our camper (not the best at backing up).
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.
Guide
Great little beach area with separate dog beach Tight camping Great fishing Few full hook ups Short walk to beach Decent hiking trails Bring bug spray Very hot in camp ground
ScoutThis campground had beautiful beach access but the tent campsites are too close to other campers which I found awkward. Usually when I think of camping I think of some peaceful time in the woods but I felt like I was in a crowded restaurant. One thing I did appreciate was that the beach and campground were dog friendly and the bathrooms/showers were clean.
Scout
Stayed at Tom's Cove for 2 nights, the rates are perfect for us, they have electric and water on sites. All around lovely experience for tent camping.
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.
TravelerWe visited for a bit and fell in love with the peace and serenity. The kids enjoyed the playground for a bit and then watched the sky to observe the hawks. The old ships are a true sight to see!
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.
TravelerWe camped at Kiptopeke State Park in a Super C Dynamax DX3. We enjoyed this park a lot because we had a great site. The majority of the sites in the Kiptopeke State park are on the open space. All sites are spacious, clean and green, but there is nowhere to hide from the sun. There are very few shaded ones and we were lucky to get one of those. Kiptopeke State park has two unguarded beaches on the Chesapeake Bay. Kiptopekes northern swim beach is nearly half a mile long. The south beach, which is even longer is open to swimming, fishing, boating and dogs are allowed on leash. And its absolutely beautiful! We have a video about this park in our YouTube channel- Summertime RV Rovers- RV Campgrounds in Maryland and Virginia: Kiptopeke State Park and Outstanding Dreams Alpaca Farm. Please check for yourself.
ScoutMy friends and I love to come and chill here every year. Love falling asleep to the sounds of waves and watching the stars. Great place for fishing too.
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!
GuidePlenty of space at the site and plenty to do. Really enjoyed the beach!
LegendOur first trip here and we loved it! We stayed in water view site 10. WV sites 1-7 have great views and some shade. WV sites 8-20 are more open and close together. The black tank clean out is near site WV15 so avoid that area. They pump it out daily. There are beach grasses between them but still close. Waterfront sites looked great. There are about 6 I think. There is a beach area to swim but also 2 pools. The original pool from when this was Tall Pines Harbor is a traditional rectangle. The new one is larger and also has a large splash pad. There is a jump zone and a rec room. There are fishing piers and boat rentals. They also have vacation rentals if you don’t have your own. They have laundry and a cafe and of course playgrounds. The office / store was nice. You can rent a golf cart and you might need it to get from the WV sites to the pool. Not real far but with stuff to carry it’s nice to have. A band played in their pavilion on Sat. night. It was Jeep weekend so other activities were happening. Some of this campground is seasonal and some transient. It wasn’t noted which were which in their map. The bath house is not close to the water view or water front sites. We visited Chincoteague which was a cute town. Eat at Ray’s Shanty but skip Capt Es Hurricane Tiki Bar. However, visit the Saxis Island Museum which was very interesting. If it’s closed you can call a number listed on the door and someone may come open it for you. Everyone was so incredibly welcoming and nice.
TravelerCamping on the beach with wild horses
GuideBathrooms are cold and it’s vault toilets. Biking rentals were close by and I’ll def be putting this campground on my yearly trip list. Just beautiful. I don’t like that a lot of people ruin and don’t listen to simple rules.
TravelerWildlife galore! Turtles, deer, birds and of course the wild horses just come right through your campsites. Use your best wildlife common sense and don’t leave food or water out. We had a blast. Plus the beach is not too far and OCMD is just a 30 min drive. If you have the proper vehicle defiantly get an OSV pass.
GuideThis is what beach life should be. No crowds. Sound of waves. Not traffic. No generators. Wildlife all around. It can get windy, but it keeps the bugs down which is good. If it’s dead calm, you’re going to deal with mosquitos and flies.
TravelerBeautiful national seashore.. beautiful beach. Biting flies, biting gnats, biting mosquitos. You will get eaten alive! Watch for the horses. May is mating season.
ScoutFriendly and helpful staff. Original booked campsite turned into a swamp with hungry mosquitoes after recent rain, staff moved me to a dryer and much nicer site with a smile and no hassles.
Horse camping in Virginia offers a unique experience for equestrian enthusiasts, combining the beauty of nature with the joy of riding. With several campgrounds catering to horse owners, you can enjoy the great outdoors alongside your equine companions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Onancock, VA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Onancock, VA is Kiptopeke State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 52 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Onancock, VA?
TheDyrt.com has all 8 equestrian camping locations near Onancock, VA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
