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

Fun fun fun place to ride bikes, play in the water and sight see (light house, wonderful visitor's center).

This place was beautiful. There were many places to see the ponies. The ecology circle is the best place to see the ponies up close. There is also a beach you can go on. To get in, it is 20 dollars for a week pass.

Saw the ponies up close and even saw a sika and bald eagle. Great experience.

Nice park with lots to offer. Big open spaces, hiking trails and beaches. Many natural areas. Light house.
Lots to do and hard to take it all in in one day. We returned several times to spend time in different habitats.

Recommend walking the three mile nature road. Best way to see all the birds.

Take the family there every summer for a few days we love it down there also love the hospitality people are great down there

Can see the ponies at a distance but don't expect to get close while driving or walking. Much more civilized than Assateague.

The island is great for people who love wildlife. Chincoteague has kept true to its roots and though it is a tourist attraction in the summer months, it still keeps its original fishing town heritage.

This is a great place to go with family especially children. Please make sure to take mosquito repellent and check the bathroom stalls for toilet paper. It was a fun experience and we even got to see wild dolphins swimming while at the beach.

Most wonderful place to visit. Horses, beach, light house, wildlife, nature loop, lots to see.

Beach is about 10 min drive into the park. Don't expect to see wild horses on the side of the road or the beach. The beach fills up in the afternoon and high tide comes right up to the dune. The dune is the only thing separating the beach from the parking lot which is great. You can just walk over the hill and you're on the beach. There were signs about lifeguards on duty, but I couldn't see the lifeguard towers at all. They are very spaced out. The wildlife loop was pretty, but not much wildlife except a plethora of mosquitos. BRING REAL BUGSPRAY! Natural stuff does not work. There are too many of them. We got about 10ft into the light house trail and had to turn back. The mosquitos were all over us.

Best place ever. I love this island so much. The beach is awesome.

Saw the ponies grazing. Many with their foal. One was still pregnant. The wildlife loop was amazing. Family has had a fantastic experience.

Such a beautiful place where you can hike through the forest, watch wild horses graze in the marsh, and sit on the beach....all in the same afternoon.

Very scenic place on Assateague Island. Nice, clean beaches, scenic wildlife trails, wild ponies, and also can see the Assateague Lighthouse. Make sure to bring bug repellent as there are a lot of bugs, especially on the wildlife trail.

Perfect getaway. Nature at it's finest. If you're lucky you can spot the wild ponies. My happy place.

Nice clean place, good parking, and has trails to explore withing the park. Seagulls are vicious and they are kids food

The long trip to was worth it. We saw the ponies, turtle, dolphins and horses on the beach. Beautiful sunset. Couldn't asked for more.

Wonderful place, so relaxing, timeless, wild horses, birds and Beach. Laid back town
what can be better

Went during the off season, and regardless of periodic rain, it turned out great, and without the crowds.

We've been visiting here for many years and never tire of discovering the island wonders

I almost don't want to share this "best kept secrets", it is my favorite beach on the east coast with so much to do but not overly developed. I was a little sad that it has become more developed since I've been there last. The plus is that there are more hotels and options.

Beautiful natural barrier island. Saw lots of ponies

Beautiful place to visit.... however, if you want to be close to the horses, you must go to Berlin, MD

Ponies are penned and won't be coming up to you on the beach like they do in the MD side of Assateague Island. No pets are allowed here either.
The lighthouse is free to go up and has some great views. I get vertigo and can't climb many lighthouses, but this one had a spiral staircase that made it easier for me. Do it on a cooler day since there is no ventilation until you reach the top. Plenty of areas to stop and rest on your climb though. Very nice personnel work there.
Two visitor type centers. Both worthwhile. Movies about the island and displays in the first one included an underwater scene of a bird scooping out a fish. Tom's Cove has a small aquarium and touch tank...this one had horseshoe crabs. They also have a few other activities for kids to do/ see. My daughter became a Junior Ranger here. She lived the activity booklet and badge she got here.
Easy to get to the beach. Has toilets and changing areas next to beach. There is a lifeguard area for those who want it.
We saw horses on the way to the beach in the marshy areas...some very close to the road, but I imagine sometimes binoculars would be helpful.

Loved this place. $20 for several day pass. Got to see the wild ponies, the light house, beach area. Would of gone back several more times if vacation was longer.

Beautiful park. Well kept, clean and easy to get around. If you're lucky you'll get to see the wild horses

Beautiful scenery, see the famous wild horses, the lighthouse, the shoreline, the surrounding waters inhabited by a LOT of dolphins. You may even see a nesting eagle or two, on top of the gulls and other sea birds. You can drive up to several spots on the interior, but a warning - the short path to the lighthouse is a mosquito haven. We ran the quarter mile to get a shot of the lighthouse up close and got several bites each...while running. There are also several good tour boats that will take your around the island and also get closer to the dolphins.

Saw lots of ponies. Of course, you can't get close to them because of fences that they don't tell you about. Fun climb up the lighthouse. Nice beach. Very busy!

A beautiful unadulterated area with lots of wildlife.

LOVED IT. Traveled here all the way from the Poconos, Pennsylvania and was not disappointed. Beautiful, clean, clearly signed. $20/car entrance fee, but it's good for a week and is worth every penny. We also saw the ponies on our way out!

We ve been here any number of times. I love the beach here, and driving through the park to see the ponies. Excellent hiking trails. Everything is in wonderful condition and it s nice to be in a park that has no trash. I like the discovery Center and Bookstore.

It was a fun experience for my boys we are hoping to see the ponies.

LOVE the beach. It's not as big, not as long of a shore line at Assateague in Maryland, but still a great place for the family to spend a day on the beach.
The visitor center has a tiny touch tank and a few souvenirs for sale.
I have not explored the camping options or trails but they have them!
The beach here, on the day we visited, didn't have swarms of ponies. Maryland Assateague does have ponies on the beach.

I LOVE Assateague island! And did enjoy my visit to Virginia's Chincoteague island park.

Must visit place. You can view the wild horses on the way to beach. Town was great . Nice people. Great stores.

It was good. I've been there multiple times. And few two years ago and a few this year. It's nice.

Wildlife Loop is being worked on, couldn't drive through, a little disappointed, but we will be back , we love it up here

I learned about Chincoteague, Va., in a AAA members magazine and decided to vacation there.
I was amazed at how laid back it is. There was very little traffic and the people were very friendly. It was so much fun to see the wild ponies up close and in their natural habitat. It was a wonderful experience to see the dolphins jumping in and out of the water. The wildlife refuge gave visitors great photo opportunities to photograph the migratory birds there. The beach was very clean and not overcrowded.
I think my favorite part of Chincoteague were the beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
It was truly a memorable experience.

I love to go here. Besides going to the beach, I bike the nature trails and visit the lighthouse. My husband loves to take pictures of the wildlife. The nature centers and gift shop are good places to visit too.

Beautiful area, very well kept, great experience. Twenty dollars for a weekly pass is an amazing price for what you get.

Beautiful park $20 to get a one week pass, this gives you access to miles of public beach with lifeguards on duty, two visitor/wildlife centers, great view of the wild horses, short hike into a operating light house, which in summer months is open for public to climb for a birds eye view, a large wildlife loop, and many hiking trails !!!!

Enjoyed our visit. Looking forward to coming back in the near future.

Beautiful Island! Love the National Park and the Lighthouse.

Wild horses!!!! Loved it. Check out Captain Dan's tour for a great boat ride with much information from someone who really knows the island and its history.

Can drive right to the beach,very clean and great trails nearby

Busier than I expected for winter, but a nice time to go to Chincoteague Island. A dozen or so wild ponies could be seen as well as deer, sswans and ducks.
Nice beach and trails to walk on. Vehicles are allowed on the beach. No dogs are allowed at all, not in the vehicle or out of the vehicle, this was enforced. The park / island are well maintained.

Great learning experiences inside and outside the classroom. Once in a lifetime activities for many students.
The only reason I could not give a 5 star rating is that for the 4 years previous, that I have attended, the cafeteria food was always what you'd expect from cafeteria food and it was edible. This year, something was different and the food was borderline inedible. Over sugared and salted. Lots of fried food with limited alternative options (less than usual). I am not a picky eater and even I had trouble finding something I wanted to eat.

As far as state parks go this is top of the line. If you're looking for nature and wildlife then this is the place for you. Lots of places to pull off and see the sights. So many different kinds of wildlife. Ponies, egrets, gulls, deer, and the list goes on. The beaches are amazing as well. One of the best family outings you can have.

My wife and I always visit the refuge on our vacations to Chincoteague. It's a very nice soothing ride, that can be filled with some pretty neat Wildlife including squirrel, fox, turtles, and numerous birds.

Love it going back every chance I get. Everything cheaper. Just as good as any big beach area. Honistly cant beat it as a vacation spot.

Highly recommend visiting off season. Cruise around slow and enjoy the wetland views and don't forget to visit Assateague island nearby

I got to fly out to the horses and got really good footage. This was an amazing experience.

Loved camping at Asseteque and the food at Chincoteague was great! Swimming, camping, crab catching, and a few short hikes.

The tour and tour guide were very interesting and informative. It's worth going.