U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Reviews

The refuge is beautiful but not pet friendly. You can't even bring your dogs and leave them in the car. So disappointed. Better to go to the Asateague State Park if you have a pet. We were able to see more wild horses in Asateague up close than in Chincoteague and the dogs were welcome in Asateague.

Sleepy friendly island...no fuss waterview houses for weekly rental

Lovely spot to spend a day biking or driving around. Lots of trails and ponies to look at - but keep your distance!

Nice vacation spot and lots of things for children to do. Good fishing also.

It's so gorgeous. Love everything about this place.

This place is fabulous. Wild ponies, nature walks, beaches. Both visitor center building had exhibits to enjoy. Friendly staff.

Very clean, got to see wild horses from afar, well kept.

took a boat tour out here. got to see ponies and dolphins and bunch of birds.

Very awesome place and the staff was very helpful and nice!

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia is one of the most visited refuges in the United States, providing visitors with opportunities to enjoy wildlands and wildlife. The refuge includes more than 14,000 acres of beaches, dunes, marsh and maritime forest. Established in 1943 for migratory birds, the refuge today provides habitat for amazing plants and wildlife including the famous Chincoteague ponies. Photo of Swan Cove by Ben Spires

It's beautiful and relaxing you can go biking walk on the trails I love it

Just a wonderful place to visit...slower paced than Ocean City

A very relaxing, quaint and calm. The ponies were calm and interested in the boat we took right up to the land at the beach. Did not run away.

It was beautiful. Just wish we had seen more horses.

It is a nice national wildlife refuge. The museum is small, but nice and there are plenty of walking/ biking trails and a couple of trails that you can drive. There is also beach access from the park.

My mom and I went on the Refuge trek And is was absolutely amazing to see all the animals were saw, the ponies were far away, but we did see them. I would definitely do the trek again and go back to the park

We read about the area and thought we would really be able to see the wild horses. I was so excited to take my dad here. $40 for 2 cars, it was not worth the money spent. We walked a trail for the hope of seeing the horses, we think we saw 3 so far off in the distance we couldn't be sure. I understand they are wild horses, so it would be hit or miss, but we were still disappointed. The mosquitos were AWFUL because of the surrounding Marsh area. Then we drove over to the beach area and it was not vehicle friendly at all, my poor car bottomed out in a puddle and I don't think I'll ever get all that muck off. We did enjoy the beautiful lighthouse and the visitor center.

We did see the ponies! We were able to visit several days and everytime we saw something new! It was October, a great time to visit.

We love this place so much my wife and I are planning to retire here!!

I was a bit underwhelmed, I am not sure I would go back. The horses are fenced in and there isn't a ton to do. Bring lots of bug spray and use it thoroughly or you will be eaten alive.

Wonderful experience overall. Trails are well maintained, sneak peaks of local wildlife and famous ponies. Fantastic for birdwatching. Amazing experience with Ranger Alex and his one hour tour on the beach. Great spots for shell collectors. However the lighthouse was supposed to be open for visiting on Veterans Day and we had a group of about 15, 20 people waiting. After a phone call to the responsible party we found out that nobody was coming to open up the lighthouse. Apparently that program is run by volunteers and that day it was just TOO COLD INSIDE THE LIGHTHOUSE for anybody to come. We would have appreciated a notice of it because it was extremely cold outside too!

Great place to visit during the round up season. We prefer the quiet fall time for bicycling. We found a wonderful bed and breakfast place - Channel Bass Inn.

Haven't seen ponies unfortunately but this place is a heaven

An absolutely beautiful wildlife refuge, with gorgeous beaches perfect for swimming, and tons of wildlife and land where you can see breathtaking views of the marshes, and wild horses, egrets, herons, and pelicans! I highly recommend this park to anyone in Chincoteague, or around the world!

Beautiful. Climbed to top of Assateague Lighthouse, saw ponies, went to ocean, and had a great time.

Educational. I did not know that Assateague and Chincoteague were named after Native American tribes :)

Cool trails, and nice beach! Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the wild ponies!

Beautiful beach, no buildings around, no cell signal.

A perfect family vacation spot to enjoy the simple beauty of the outdoors.

The quiet beauty and slow pace makes it easy to enjoy the variety of scenery. Woods, wetlands and waves .I traveled with an elderly friend the path we walked was easy.

Ponies, beaches, and beautiful views. Can't ask for much more!

Great spot to view a natural ecosystem encompassing the forests, seashore, wild horses, and more! Easy to get to and the town by the refuge has all the summer essentials making it a great spot for a long weekend vacation

Waited for years to get here. Wish we saw more horses.

Wonderful family out door fun place to visit....something for everyone.

My brother who is blind forgot his Golden Access Card, we explained it to the lady at the entrance of the park and showed to her his DMV permanent handicap car tag, she said that he should have it with him to avail the free entrance, so we just paid the $15 entrance fee for the week. However, when we went to the Assateague National Park, again we explained at the entrance that he had forgotten his Golden Access card, he was just given a Golden Access Card and we were not asked to pay the $20 entrance fee. It is not the hardship with the money but it is one of the difficulties people with disabilities faces everyday. Life is already hard enough for people with dissabilities and it is even harder when people or rules make it so difficult for them to enjoy simple leisure in life such as going to a park.

Great day. You wont know what you will see so go through slowly

Pros: Best place for family trips. Great for families with little ones. The horses are almost magical to see and my LO and our family never seem to get tired to look for them.
The lighthouse is something we enjoy as well. Our LO has been going up and down those stairs since he was barely 3 (175 steps!) He always looks forward to the "lighthouse adventure."
Cons: mosquitos. Our 1st visit, was quite memorable given we didnt take the warnings about mosquitos seriously and well we ended up running for our lives from one of the many trails they have available to explore. But live and learn, right? After that experience, we came back prepared and we enjoyed all the trails, the biking ones, too, very much. There is also this fly that can sting a lot at the beach, but we simply used bug spray and problem solved.

My favorite place ! Amazing memories from childhood to now!! A place to unwind and soak up the beauty!

Wild ponies! Marguerite Henry's books splash to life. Abundant wildlife is best viewed by watercraft. Highly recommend a local boat tour for up close viewing of wild ponies, waterfowl, Bald Eagles, sea turtles, crabs, dolphins and more. The natural beach on Assateague is well worth the visit, teeming with wildlife and sea shells. Mosquitoes were fierce on the hiking trails despite long sleeves/pants and DEET. However, mosquitoes were no issue on the boat tour.

It's never been more important to protect our wildlife refuges and protected lands. We used to go to Chincoteague when I was a kid to watch the ponies swim across...this is a unique Eastern shore refuge..with an interesting history. The wild horses...the marshes..the Bay......the ocean..the natural grasses...dunes...are all under threat. Support this place and the work being done to save our planet.

Heaven on Earth!!! One of my favorite places in the world to visit, mainly because of the Chincoteague Ponies, a National Treasure!

There is quite a lot to see here. Lot's of trails to hike and animals to look for. Spend a few hours or a few days.

Actually got to see 3 ponies this time. One of them was a colt! Beautiful island.

Very nice beach untouched by commercialism.line OC, oBX or VA Beac

Beautiful area on Chincoteague Island. A great place to see the wild ponies, do some crabbing and take in some nature. Recommend.

I've always loved the seashore. The surrounding salt marshes & nice beach reminds me beaches/seashore in my hometown.

This place is beautiful and terrific to visit. Bring your bike to get special access to secluded part of beach. The horses and the lighthouse also make thos a special place.

A nice place to visit the wetlands or beach. There are bike trails if you need a break from the beach. Be warned that being amongst the wetlands bugs can be a major factor so be sure to bring some repellant with you in case the wind isn't working in your favor that day.

Awesome place to explore the wildlife and enjoy the outdoors, we even saw wild horses walking around and sika deer

Always a pleasure to visit. Slow paced and gorgeous!

It's a place that makes me want to sell everything and move close by so I can visit all the time!

This is a terrific place to bring your children and grandchildren.

Trip to the beach was a little disappointIng part of the beach was closed due to the hurricane

Beautiful!! Just be sure to wear your mosquito repellent!!