Assateague Island National Seashore | BEACH DRIVING

Typical 4-Wheel Drive vehicle for fishing on the beach at Assateague Island National Seashore

Typical 4-Wheel Drive vehicle for fishing on the beach at Assateague Island National Seashore

Driving on designated sections of the beaches in both the Maryland and Virginia units of Assateague Island National Seashore is allowed by permit only. Standard Over Sand Vehicle Permits (OSV) allow access to the beach 24 hours a day. However, from midnight to 5 AM you must be actively fishing. No camping or other activities are allowed. If you want to camp, you must get a Bullpen Permit, which is a camping area for vehicles located in the Maryland unit. Vehicles using the Bullpen area must be self-contained and have an approved toilet with a permanently installed waste storage tank. A Bullpen Permit gives you all the amenities as the standard OSV permit, so you don’t need to purchase both. The Bullpen Permit does cost more ($200 vs. $110 at the time of this writing). Also keep in mind that an OSV Permit is not valid for entry into the park, so you must still pay the standard entrance fee or purchase an annual pass.

Permits—both standard OSV and Bullpen—must be purchased online at Recreation.gov. If you don’t have Internet service, you can use the computers at the Toms Cove Visitor Center (Virginia) or the North Beach Ranger Station just inside the gates of the park in Maryland, but you are still purchasing them at Recreation.gov. The physical permit must be picked up at the Ranger Station or Visitor Center within ten days. Permits are good for one year from the date of purchase.

Driving on the beach for the typical tourist to Assateague Island National Seashore is sort of ridiculous because the accessible areas are often closed and the fee is high. Most of those driving on the beach are fishermen who want to get to their favorite spots and who visit the park regularly.

While anyone willing to pay the fee to drive on the beaches at Assateague Island National Seashore can do so in any vehicle, I recommend nothing less than a high-clearance 4-Wheel Drive vehicle (as does the National Park Service). Using a 2-Wheel Drive of any type or an All-Wheel Drive low-clearance car is foolish. Also keep in mind that not all AWD vehicles are made the same, so do some research to see what sort of luck other drivers have had on sand with your AWD SUV.

Vehicle requirements for driving on the beaches are as follows:

  • Vehicle must be licensed and insured
  • 2 axles only and no more than four tires per axle
  • Maximum vehicle length is 26 feet and width is 8 feet
  • Minimum ground clearance is 7 inches
  • Maximum weight is 10,000 pound
  • At least 8 inches of tire tread must be in contact with the ground
  • Vehicles must carry a metal shovel, jack, jack stand (steel plate, thick plywood or board), tire gauge, tow rope, chain, or cable (6,000 pound pulling strength, 10 feet minimum)
  • ATVs, UTVs, ROVs, and MOHUVs are prohibited.

I did not drive on the beaches at Assateague, but I did drive on the Cape Lookout National Seashore and Padre Island National Seashore beaches. I was very apprehensive about getting stuck despite having a 4WD, but after a couple of days I began to wonder exactly what I would have to do wrong to get stuck. If getting stuck was a common occurrence, beach driving would not be permitted. A Ranger at Cape Lookout told me that the only vehicles she has ever seen get stuck are non-4WDs. Also, a seasoned beach driver told me that he’s never seen a situation where a stuck vehicle needed a tow truck, as most can be dug out with common tools and a little effort—the required safety equipment is for this purpose.

Based on my beach driving experience, here are a few tips:

  • Lower your tire pressure to 15 to 20 psi. Be sure to bring a tire pressure gauge with you, and visit a gas station with air to pump up your tires as soon as possible after you are done beach driving. There is an air station at the OSV entrance at Assateague Island National Seashore.
  • If you are in soft sand, don’t slam on your brakes; this will cause the wheels to dig into the sand. In fact, try not to stop at all on the soft sand.
  • When in soft sand, drive on the tire tracks of previous vehicles, as this sand will be packed down.

In the Virginia unit of Assateague Island National Seashore, beach driving starts at the end of the parking lot for the main beach area and continues south along Toms Cove Hook to Fishing Point. However, the area is closed completely from March 15th to August 31st due to bird nesting. In addition, the area is frequently impassible after storms or hard rains. There is no driving on the beach north of Toms Cove towards Maryland other than on a 1-mile stretch of beach open for fishing only that is accessed via Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, and only when the Toms Cove Hook area is closed. As a result of all this, beach driving is hit-or-miss in Virginia.

In Maryland, 12 miles of beach south of South Ocean Beach are open to driving, though areas may be closed at any given time. Camping is permitted in the Bullpen. In addition to the beach, there are two access roads to Chincoteague Bay, though there is no driving along the bay shoreline. Beach driving in Maryland can be counted on a lot more than in Virginia. Also, there is no way to drive from Virginia into Maryland (and vice versa) on the beach.

Over Sand Vehicle map (click to enlarge)

Over Sand Vehicle map (click to enlarge)

I like how beach driving is done at Assateague Island National Seashore versus Cape Hatteras National Seashore or Cape Lookout National Seashore (both in North Carolina), but it might just be the luck of geography. At Hatteras and Lookout, with a few exceptions, vehicles can drive right through the beaches that people frequent. At Assateague, beach driving starts at the end of the popular beaches and goes only through the backcountry parts of the island where people are less likely to be.

Whether you are in Maryland or Virginia, there is a limit to the number of vehicles allowed on the beach at one time (145 in Maryland and 48 in Virginia). On summer weekends and holidays you may have to wait in line at beach entrance ramp for a vehicle to come off before you can get on.

For complete information on rules, regulations, fees, and required safety equipment, see the National Park Service’s Over-Sand Vehicle Use web page for Assateague Island National Seashore.

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Last updated on October 2, 2023
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