Mark’s Score 9.0
The Delmarva Peninsula is located on the East Coast avian migratory routes, making the protection of its wetlands of vital interest to birds. The Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1943 as a sanctuary for the migratory birds. This time of year, you will find the park full of birds resting on the bays and inlets of the park. In addition to the birds, the park also houses two other famous residents, the Chincoteague Ponies and the Assateague Lighthouse.
Legend has it that the ponies on Assateague Island are the descendants of a group of ponies that had escaped a shipwrecked Spanish galleon. However, many historians believe that the ponies were actually placed on Assateague Island by 17th Century farmers to avoid fencing regulations and taxation. In any case, today the park houses approximately 150 wild ponies.
The park’s final famous resident is the Assateague Lighthouse. Shipwrecks were common on the dangerous shoals on this stretch of coastline. The US Government built the first lighthouse on Assateague Island in 1833, and the current structure was completed in 1867. Though now owned by the US Fish and Wildlife Service the lighthouse is still an active working lighthouse.
The park stretches for 14 miles (22.5K) encompassing both the barrier and inlet islands from Wallops Island, Virginia to the Maryland border. However, the portion to the park open to people is relatively small. The park’s main purpose is to protect the birds and ponies, and not recreation. Consequently, most of the public trails are located at the southern tip of the island, primarily south and west of the Snow Goose Pool. Most of the pony and bird viewing areas are easily accessible by car along Beach Road. There are also two excellent and informative visitors centers one near the park entrance, and one near the beach.
I last visited the park on a beautifully warm November day. Due to the lateness of the season, the park was nearly empty. I thought I would have a picnic lunch at the Pony Outlook so I picked up a “Pilgrim Sandwich” and a drink at Drift on the way to the park. I started my day by hiking the Lighthouse Trail. It is a short but beautiful walk through a marshland forest and the lighthouse is well worth the hike.
After the lighthouse I drove to the roadside pony paddock. There were no ponies, but that is OK because I planned to hike the Woodland Trail to the Pony Overlook. It takes about 30 minutes to walk out to the overlook, once again there were no ponies, but you get an expansive view of the marshland, coastal forest, and even the Wallops Space Center launch site across the bay, and it is a perfect spot for a picnic lunch. After lunch I drove to Snow Goose Pool to see hundreds of resting Snow Geese, bringing my day trip to the park to a fitting end.
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