Best Equestrian Camping near Tangier, VA

Beautiful scenery, love the wild horses. Just be careful opening the door, I've been greeted by a few horses!

It was a 5/5 star experience. When I got onto the beach, I thought it was pretty but as I looked around, I saw the most majestic creatures ever, the wild horses roaming the sandy beach. It was an experience I would never forget. I would recommend it to horse lovers.

The island is beautiful and the horses are cool to see. It's a bit sad how the horses aren't really wild and more come to humans for food. The wind was the only issue, we couldn't leave the tent without it blowing away in the wind. Definitely would return and maybe make a trip out of it.

Horses will roam right into campsite.

Camping on the beach with wild horses

This campsite is like no other I’ve ever been to. If you don’t mind wild horses joining you for dinner and trekking around your campsite at night, then this is your place!! The beach is absolutely gorgeous and so is the scenery. If a crowded beach is not your thing, it gets less crowded as you walk away from the boardwalk. Please be kind to the horses and if you see an injured one, let the Park Rangers know immediately.

No hookups but wow the views! And if course the wild horses are amazing.

The beach was beautiful, and you can camp roughly 100 yards from it. Many campsites available, and you can actually see the horses

Chemical toilets, no electricity. Wild horses are everywhere. Put food and toiletries in car. Beautiful beach on both bayside and Oceanside. Awesome kayak rentals.

There are two sides. Bay and Ocean I reserved a drive in ocean front site just over the dunes. No showers, just toilets. The horses do run through the camp and on the beach so be sure to lock up your coolers. Some people in the site across from me had some uninvited guests while grilling. The horse fly bites are painful. Mosquitoes as usual-annoying. Invest in good repellents. Windy. Had to use guy lines on tent to keep from blowing over. I went in June and it was hot even with the ocean breeze. Dogs are allowed on the beach and in campsites but not on the trails. Don’t forget fly repellent for them!

This place is beautiful plus there are the most amazing wild horses and sand dunes. We love to camp here but it gets very windy at times. Will keep going over and over!

For hardcore campers!! I accidentally booked the bayside campsite vs the seaside campsite and we had a very tough time. We have been camping here on and off for the past 10 years on the Seaside and it is one of my favorite beach camp sites but stay away from the bayside campsite on the bayside.

The biggest problem for us was there was absolutely no breeze or wind on the bayside, The camping spots are in a wooded area so you do get plenty of shade but the trees block any wind blowing in from the ocean. No breeze or wind means dealing with tons of flying biting insects...constantly. And I mean lots and lots of horse flies.

And for some reason I think the wild horses are more active and more aggressive on the bayside vs when camping on the beach, just my personal experience. Our camp was raided every every night and day, even when we had horse proofed all our food and our campsite. I ended up storing all our food in our tents inside lockable bins.

Most of the people I saw camping on the bayside had RV, which is the only way I would come back to the bayside.

Read my other review for seaside assategue camping for some helpful tips.

I was really looking forward to this trip. We stayed on the Bayside of the campground. Our site was close to the bathhouse, which was modest with cold water and vault toilets. Fresh water pump was nearby, as well.

Based on the reviews, I was expecting a beach camp out with the ambience of wild horses running along the shore. Sand between our toes. Fire cooked meals. Idyllic... Sadly, that’s not at all what we got.

We arrived late to meet some friends before setting up camp. We were supposed to have dinner with the them. But dinner was delayed — VERY delayed — because of horses. A small herd of them (around 8) decided to hangout in our campsite waiting for their meal. This meant we couldn’t get ours. As soon as any food would come into ‘nose-shot,’ they would start advancing on us. We waited over an hour for them to lose interest and move on to the next site. We went through this for every meal. It became a real hassle.

It’s obvious other campers have not been so responsible with their food in this area. The standard is to hide all food as soon as you see the horses. This mean storing anything with a scent in your closed vehicle or in the “horse box” under the picnic table. With the way they would wait for us to pull food out, it was very apparent other campers allowed them to have a free-for-all previously. And no amount of noise shooed them off. If anything, it made them more aggressive and we had to watch them closely.

A little while later, we finally settled in and set up camp after having our “dinner” in the confines of our car. Dinner was snacks since we couldn’t cook anything. Placing anything on the fire or stove was like a beacon to the horses.

The next problem we encountered was the mosquitoes — they were everywhere and in hoards. No matter how hard you tried, there’s no keeping them out of the tent. We left a day later covered in bumps, most from throughout the night.

One good thing was the cooler temps meant no horseflies. On a previous beach trip, we were swarmed and covered in bites within minutes of exiting our car. Be prepared because bug spray does very little.

Let’s also not forget the “stickers” — little burr-like plant pods that are all on the ground and stuck to anything and everything, especially skin. These stung bad.

Once settled in for the night, we dealt with the wind flapping the tent pretty wildly at times, horses neighing almost constantly and coming awfully close, and two raccoons fighting on the edge of our tent. A restful night was not in the cards there.

The only good thing was the location. We were a short walk away from the beach. The kids and I at least enjoyed that part.

I was beyond disappointed and cancelled my upcoming trip for the following month as soon as I got home. I don’t know if the experience was different Oceanside, but i will never be staying Bayside again.

Love staying here. beautiful sunsets you can see right from your tent and walking on the beach at night is amazing. Clean facilities. Horses can get in your stuff so make sure to put it away in your car

As other reviewers have mentioned, this campground has more vegetation than its Seaside counterpart. This does lend itself to less of a breeze and more flying insects than you might find on the beach, which makes it a perfect spot in the colder fall and winter months. We stayed here when the low was around 17 degrees so we appreciated the natural protection.

We did have several interactions with one wild horse who did not seem to be bothered by us or our dog. The dog on the other hand was certainly bothered! Between the horse and the sand spurs in his feet he would probably rate this spot a lot lower.

While I wouldn't recommend staying here in the warmer and buggier months, it is a nice alternative in the should seasons when more protection may be warranted.

Adventurous, in that you'll get a first-hand glimpse of the horses, as they are aggressive! Very nice Visitors Center where you could request a ranger badge for the little ones. Would recommend visiting in late summer, early fall to avoid the crowds.

Quite windy but with sand/snow stakes and sand bags/mounds our tent was secure! Lovely beach and views. No bugs at this time of year. Definitely secure your food or put it in the car as the horses come around every morning.

Friendly staff, well maintained. Signs explained what could be done instead of what not to do.

At the end of the day nothing beat waking to horses grazing in our camp. Exactly what we were hoping for.

Wish we had two weeks instead of two days.

The breeze coming off the bay allowed for me to get one of the best nights of sleep I’ve had in a while! The horses roam free, so keep your stuff locked in your vehicle. Decent trails for hiking or biking and it’s not far from the beach.

Wonderful 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!

It’s hidden away yet close to the water. Having animals around is such a great feeling. A deer hung out by the campfire at night, and in the morning there were horse tracks all over the sight. We chose to stay in October with less people and less bugs. Hiking and boys nearby to kayak or canoe at. Beautiful place to stay.

Wildlife 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.

The island itself is beautiful and the campsites are very spacious. My children loved how the horses wander free. We got a spot right by the ocean and I loved how it actually wasn't too buggy. The bathrooms and showers are close to every campsite along with a dumpster. The staff are very friendly and helpful. I definitely recommend this campground to anyone with children

We camped here in April with few other campers. It was magical. We picked up an Oversands permit and enjoyed the beach by ourselves other than the horses and seals. The winds were whipping but we were happy with the limited crowds. There is also a nice walking trail and a canoe launch. We really enjoyed this campground. No hot showers, so be ready for that!

I love camping at Assateague Campground (Oceanside). The mosquitoes are very bad but it is the most relaxing thing to fall asleep listening to the ocean....make sure your tent spikes and tent are strong enough for storms because it can get very windy... if it’s hurricane season they will ask everyone to leave during a bad storm but that’s never happened to me... the campsite beaches do not have lifeguards but it’s a short walk to the lifeguard beach if you want it. The horses will destroy your tent if you leave food or sweet drinks in it... they have a great sense of smell and will knock down coolers and entire tents if they think there’s food. Leave all food secure in a vehicle if you aren’t at your site. They have little pricker things in the grassy areas that stick to everything! But none of this could make me say it’s bad I absolutely love the Oceanside of Assateague campgrounds! If you need to get horses to leave you can splash them with bottled water or shake a tin with change in it but stay away they can be aggressive..

We come every year because it's on our top list of yearly visits. The beach and staff there are nice. Crabbing and fishing there's very popular. Very pet friendly and they also made a beach side for pets to swim at. Wild animals usually pass by often later in the evening, horses, deer, rabbits etc; sites are nice and big. Some sunny some shady. Park usually fills up when I'm there

Bayside is typically the better choice but the Oceanside gives you access to the beach in minutes. Horses can be a nuisance and destroy your campsite but are beautiful to watch. The bayside is great if you have a kayak and some sites you can launch directly into the bay. The Oceanside can be painfully hot, very little breeze behind the dunes and the bathrooms are awful. Would recommend staying at the state park instead.