Crabbing, clamming, canoeing and boating are popular activities. Each year on the last Wednesday and Thursday of July, many of the younger horses are rounded up, forced to swim the inlet between the two islands and sold at an auction to benefit the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department. There are no hotels or motels on the island of Assateague but plenty of camping areas in the Maryland section. Here you can get information on camping, off-road vehicle use, park nature activities and other park happenings. The National Park Service offers two campgrounds, with primitive outdoor facilities, including chemical toilets, drinking water and cold showers.
Some sites are open year-round.
The state park offers tent and RV camp sites with bathhouses with hot showers and flush toilets. The camp area also has a small store and snack bar. Campgrounds are available right behind the dunes at Assateague, and some four-wheeling is possible on sections of the Maryland beach, with a permit available at the park office. Fishing remains a big deal here. For shoppers, Chincoteague holds little beyond some curio shops and small artists' galleries.