This barrier island “rollover” is accelerated as the climate changes and the sea level rises. Water washes over the island, sending beach sand backward toward the bay. The island is moving westward as a result of natural barrier processes during storms. The source of the sand is erosion and run-off from the Appalachian Mountains. The island is built from sand moving south via longshore drift building the island's length. One must drive through Chincoteague Island in order to reach the Virginia District.Īssateague Island is part of a chain of barrier islands that extend from Maine to Texas. This collaboration between the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service is defined in an agreement or Memorandum of Understanding.The Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on the southern end of Assateague Island should not be confused with Chincoteague Island, the neighboring island to the west with a residential community on it. However, the National Park Service operates with a recreational beach, lifeguarded area and visitor center within a one-mile parking and visitor use section. This area of the island is designated as the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The Virginia District of Assateague Island extends from the Maryland state line south to the Chincoteague Inlet. The only access to the Maryland District is via the Verrazano Bridge on Maryland Route 611. The Assateague Island National Seashore visitor center, campground, three nature trails, lifeguarded beach, and park headquarters and the smaller Assateague State Park sits within the borders of this district. The Maryland District of Assateague Island extends from the Ocean City Inlet to the Virginia state line. All automobile traffic must travel through the mainland to access one end of the island from the other. It is not possible to drive down the island from one district to the other. The park is divided into the Maryland District in the north and the Virginia District in the south. The island is approximately 37 miles (60 km) long, yet never more than a mile wide. The park is located on a barrier island shaped by the stormy seas and gentle winds along the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula. The island consists of three public areas Assateague Island National Seashore (managed by the National Park Service), Assateague State Park (managed by the Maryland Park Service of the Department of Natural Resources) and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (managed by the U.S. 41,346 acres of land and water are within the seashore’s boundaries.
The stated mission of the park is to preserve and protect “unique coastal resources and the natural ecosystem conditions and processes upon which they depend, provide high-quality resource-based recreational opportunities compatible with resource protection and educate the public as to the values and significance of the area”.Īssateague Island encompasses a 37-mile-long barrier island, adjacent marsh islands and waters in Maryland and Virginia, and the Assateague Island Visitor Center on the Maryland mainland. The National Seashore offers a setting in which to experience a dynamic barrier island and to pursue a multitude of recreational opportunities.
#Assateague campground map plus
Located within a three-hour drive to the east and south of Richmond, Washington, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia major metropolitan areas plus north of the several clustered smaller cities around Hampton Roads harbor of Virginia with Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. Located on the East Coast along the Atlantic Ocean in Maryland and Virginia, Assateague Island is the largest natural barrier island ecosystem in the Middle Atlantic states region that remains predominantly unaffected by human development.
Worcester County, Maryland & Accomack County, Virginia, USAģ8☀5′00″N 75☁2′30″W / 38.08333°N 75.20833°W / 38.08333 -75.20833Īssateague Island National Seashore is a unit of the National Park Service system of the U.S.
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