We spent 5 nights (April 7th through April 11th), at Chincoteague, Virginia. We visited Assateague Island several times during our stay.
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. The Virginia portion of the island is designated as the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with the exception of 448 acres in the refuge’s Toms Cove area maintained by the National Park Service. These 448 acres are part of the Assateague Island National Seashore. The Assateague State Park and the Assateague Island National Seashore are located on Assateague Island, MD. This year marks our fifth visit to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and the Assateague Island National Seashore, located on Assateague Island, VA.
Admission to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is $20.00, which is good for multiple days. We didn’t have to pay the admission fee, as I purchased a National Park Service senior pass in February 2018, when I turned 62 years old.
We rode our bicycles on the Woodland Trail. The Woodland Trail, which takes you through a pine forest, is 1.6 miles round trip, paved and wheelchair accessible. The trail is open to both walkers and cyclists. A couple years ago many of the pine trees were damaged by a southern pine beetle infestation.
Leaving the Woodland Trail, we rode our bicycles on the Beach Access Road to the Assateague Island National Seashore and back to the Woodland Trail parking lot.
Egrets are popular at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.
We watched one egret, as it was hunting, standing immobile or wading through wetlands, to when it suddenly took flight.
We watched another egret standing in a tree.
We rode our bicycles a total of 4.16 miles on Woodland Trail and to and from the beach.
Bicycling the beauty around us 