Assateague Island National Seashore

Cape May, NJ to the Chesapeake Bay, VA | Ferry Across the Delaware Bay | DelMarVa Peninsula | Visiting Assateague Island National Seashore | May 2025

We woke this morning to find that the rain had finally stopped, which was good news to us because we had several plans for today that would be much more enjoyable in decent weather. We packed up, drove a little out of our way to tag one more county, then drove to Cape May. We had made reservations for the ferry to Lewes, DE a week prior, and were excited to skip driving through Philly/Baltimore/DC in favor of the hopefully more enjoyable coastal route.

Once we had driven onto the ferry, we decided to get out and wander around, and make the most of the price we paid to ride. Unlike the Canadian ferries we had taken and researched last year, this one allowed Charlotte to come out and experience the deck with us. She preferred walking around to sitting, and took Curtis on a long circle around the mid-deck, making some friends along the way. We then went back to the parking level, let her sniff around some more, then she and I returned to the van where she promptly fell asleep on my lap. The entire ride was about an hour and a half long, with more time spent waiting at the beginning, but regardless of whether driving the other route was faster, this was more fun.

After landing in Delaware, we started driving South on US-1, enjoying the coastal and bay views on either side along the way. We made our first stop in Bethany Beach, where we went for a walk around Bethany Beach Central Park and saw Delaware’s Whispering Giant statue.

Next, we continued South into Maryland and drove through Ocean City. I had visited here several times as a kid with my family — my dad’s side is from the Baltimore area, and some relatives owned a condo here that we were able to visit when we made the trip East. I couldn’t remember which building the condo was in, but I definitely remembered all the themed mini golf courses, candy shops, and the boardwalk. We drove all the way to the South side of the city to see Maryland’s Whispering Giant, but decided to keep driving so that we could have more time at our next destination.

The highlight of today was visiting Assateague Island National Seashore. As we were arriving on the island, we each expressed hope that we would get to see the wild horses, and it didn’t take long for that to come true. We spotted some just North of the road after the bridge, and then even better, saw a mama and baby walking right along the road to the South! There was even a ranger walking nearby, spraying them with water to keep them from walking in the road. It was adorable, and made our visit totally worth it even without having reached the beach!

Once we had parked, we had lunch in the shade before beginning our beach walk. It was the perfect day, not too hot so the sand didn’t hurt our feet or paws, and a pleasant breeze keeping us cool. We let Charlotte lead the way for our walk, and we noted how this makes our first official ocean visit of 2025, keeping our trend of seeing the ocean every year since 2012 going! Typically, Charlie much prefers searching for buried treasure in the sand (especially things that aren’t good for her) over going in the water, but today she bravely walked right into the waves and got her belly wet, and didn’t try to run away! She and I waded in the water for our walk back to the van, and we ended up with a wet and very sandy puppy.

Curtis had to call into a meeting after that, so I drove us to the visitor center and got our park stamps while he worked. After that was wrapped up, it was late afternoon, so we got back on the road heading South to Virginia. We made it to our intended sleep spot for tonight: the Virginia welcome center just North of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. As far as rest stops go, this was a pretty nice one to boondock at. We were able to park behind the visitor center so there was less road noise, and there was a National Wildlife Refuge right behind the stop with trails. Curtis walked Charlotte around while I made dinner and swept as much sand out of the van as I could. We ate outside at a picnic table. Curtis made a brief walk into the refuge around sunset and found an old WWII coastal battery. We then walked Charlie around a little more before turning in for the night.