Assateague State Park is a public recreation area in
Worcester County, Maryland
Worcester County is the easternmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,460. Its county seat is Snow Hill.
It is the only county of Maryland that borders the Atlantic Ocean, and the only cou ...
, USA,, located at the north end of
Assateague Island
Assateague Island is a long barrier island located off the eastern coast of the Delmarva Peninsula facing the Atlantic Ocean. The northern two-thirds of the island is in Maryland while the southern third is in Virginia. The Maryland sectio ...
, a
barrier island
Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from ...
bordered by the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
on the east and
Sinepuxent Bay
Sinepuxent Bay is an inland waterway which connects Chincoteague Bay to Isle of Wight Bay, and is connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Ocean City Inlet. It separates Sinepuxent Neck, in Worcester County, Maryland from Assateague Island, and We ...
on the west. The
state park is bordered on both its north and south sides by
Assateague Island National Seashore and is reached via the
Verrazano Bridge which carries
Maryland Route 611
Maryland Route 611 (MD 611) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Stephen Decatur Highway, the state highway runs from Assateague Island north to U.S. Route 50 (US 50) in West Ocean City. MD 611 is named for Stephen De ...
across Sinepuxent Bay. The park offers wildlife viewing, beach activities, and camping facilities. It is managed by the
Maryland Park Service of the larger Maryland Department of Natural Resources with the support of volunteers working under the auspices of the non-profit Friends of Assateague State Park.
[
]
History
State planners suggested establishing a state park on Assateague Island in 1940 and again in 1952. The park was finally created in 1956 when the state Board of Public Works accepted a gift of 540 acres from North Ocean Beach, Incorporated. Funds for further acquisitions were allocated by the General Assembly of Maryland
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber ...
in 1959 and 1962, with funding for facility development allocated in 1965.[
A tradition of New Year's Day walks in the park began on January 1, 1980, the same year President Jimmy Carter proclaimed "Year of the Coast." The walk was started by two women, Ilea Fehrer and Judy Johnson, founder of the Committee to Preserve Assateague Island (now known as the Assateague Coastal Trust), who sought to celebrate the beauty of the island and rally against plans to develop areas around it.]First Day Hikes
First Day Hikes is a program of free, guided hikes offered by the fifty state park systems of the United States each year on New Year's Day. The program began locally in Massachusetts in 1992 and then went nationwide in 2012 under the aegis o ...
in state parks.
Wildlife
Wildlife found in the park's marsh areas include deer, waterfowl, and feral Assateague horses.
Activities and amenities
Rackliffe House, which overlooks Sinepuxent Bay, is a restored 18th-century coastal plantation building that houses the Coastal Maryland Heritage Center. The park campground has 350 sites.[
]
See also
* Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
References
External links
Assateague State Park
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
National Park Service
{{authority control
Assateague Island
State parks of Maryland
Parks in Worcester County, Maryland
Beaches of Maryland
1956 establishments in Maryland
Protected areas established in 1965