Atlantic Coast Guide

Chincoteague

Home of the Wild Ponies

Everything for a day on the island and Assateague Beach: conditions, the refuge beach lots, a Chincoteague Channel sunset and where to eat oysters after.

Today on the Sand

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Water Temp

84°

warm · gentle surf

UV Index

very high · 10am–4pm

Beach Crowd

Busy

holiday weekend

Beach Toolkit

more tools coming

Beach Conditions

Surf, tides & water temp

Parking Finder

Refuge beach & town lots

Channel Sunset

Sunset over the waterfront

Dining

Chincoteague oysters & clams

Things to Do

Wild pony & wildlife cruises

Events

What's on this week

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Assateague Beach

Guarded swimming beach in the refuge

$10/day refuge pass

Toms Cove Hook

Shelling & wildlife at the quiet south point

Walk-in · seasonal

Chincoteague NWR

Wildlife loop, wild ponies & the lighthouse

Refuge day-use

Assateague (MD)

National seashore camping beach · north end

Separate entrance

Ocean City, MD

Boardwalk resort beach · 45 min north

Free & metered

Wachapreague

Eastern Shore fishing harbor · barrier isles

Boat access

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

Compare daily sails from the marina — wild dolphins on nearly every trip.

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Wallops Island

10 min west

NASA Flight Facility, visitor center & rocket launches

Ocean City, MD

45 min north

Boardwalk, amusement piers & wide resort beach

Onancock

40 min south

Eastern Shore harbor town, galleries & the Tangier ferry

Assateague, MD

1 hr north

National seashore, camping & more wild horses

see you on the sand

Water temp, surf and UV are live from NOAA & Open-Meteo; sunset is computed locally for Chincoteague. Crowd level is a weekday/weekend estimate.