It has been 8 months since I last published a blog post for ”Bicycling the beauty around us”. Our last bicycle ride in 2021 was in September. So far this year we have bicycled in our neighborhood, and we rode our bicycles at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia. We bicycled a total of 17.89 miles, in April, while on vacation in Virginia.
This is a video that Bob took with our GoPro7 camera during those three bicycle rides.
We spent 5 nights (April 7th through April 11th), at Chincoteague, Virginia. We visited Assateague Island several times during our stay.
On the morning of Day 5 of our vacation (Wednesday, April 10th) we rode our bicycles from our vacation home to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island, VA. It is approximately 2 miles from our Airbnb to the entrance booths.
We followed the bicycle trail to Woodland Trail. We rode the Woodland Trail, where we saw several wild horses in the marshland.
Leaving Woodland Trail we took the Black Duck Trail to the Wildlife Loop. We rode the Wildlife Loop. We saw egrets, birds and wild ponies.
For the first time since 2011, when we first visited the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, we saw wild horses in the marsh, while on the Wildlife Loop.
From the Wildlife Loop we returned to our airbnb.
We rode 11.69 bicycle miles in the morning.
We spent 5 nights (April 7th through April 11th), at Chincoteague, Virginia. We visited Assateague Island several times during our stay.
On Day 3 (April 8th) of our vacation, we drove to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. The wildlife refuge is located on Assateague Island, VA. We carried our bicycles via bike carrier, even though the wildlife refuge is only a couple miles our Airbnb rental.
We rode our bicycles on the Wildlife Loop (3.25 miles), which is open to walkers and bikers all day. Vehicles are permitted to drive the loop from 3:00 PM until dusk. We rode several trails branching off the Wildlife Loop and ended up with 6.86 bicycle miles. We also got in a few walks, mostly to the ocean.
The Black Duck Trail can be used to connect the Wildlife Loop to the Woodland Trail. On this day we rode to the Beach Access Road and back (2 miles round trip) on the Black Duck Trail. The sign indicated that we might see Canada goose, tundra swans, black ducks and other waterfowl; deer; snakes; and songbirds. We did see a few birds, including a Flicker, but I was not able to grab my camera quick enough to capture any photographs. The only photograph I took, while on Black Duck Trail, was of the lighthouse.
Swan Cove Trail (0.5 mile one way) is a popular route to the beach.
The Service Road is a gravel foot path, 7.5 miles one-way, with limited bicycle access. Bicyclists can access the trail for 1.25 miles (one-way) to the D-Dike beach access area. Cars are not permitted on the Service Road, with the exception of Oversand-Vehicle (OSV) Permit holders.
This was our fourth year on the Wildlife Loop, but it was the first time that we saw it via bicycle. With the exception of the boardwalk trail, we had not been on any of the trails that branch off from Wildlife Loop.
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 