Getting the Most From the Assateague Island Over Sand Vehicle Beach

If you have always wanted to take your adventure to the beach, then I highly recommend exploring the Over Sand Vehicle (OSV) beach at Assateague Island National Seashore. The island is maintained by the US National Park Service, and it’s one of the closest places for beach goers in the DC/VA/MD area to drive directly onto the beach.

But before you pack your towel and sunscreen, there are a few things you should know about OSV driving, accessing the beach, and tips for getting the most out of your experience.

First, you need to have a car that is OSV capable. I would not recommend a coupe or sedan, but most SUVs, trucks, and (of course) Jeeps are going to be fine on the beach. It’s best if your vehicle has 4WD in case you get bogged down in any deeper sand. The National Park Service has some additional stipulations on the size, weight, etc of vehicles that can operate on the beach, so be sure to visit their website to check the specifics.

On the beach of Assateauge Island, you can drive and park your car feet away from the water’s edge

Assuming your car is good-to-go, you’ll need to pack a little bit of recovery gear. People do get stuck on the beach from time-to-time. If you go during favorable weather, drive in the existing tracks, and use some good common sense, it’s less likely you’ll need to use the recovery gear or get stuck. Still, the National Park Service doesn’t want to spend all day calling tow trucks, so they ask you to bring a jack, a jack support, a recovery strap/rope, a shovel, and a tire pressure gauge. They strongly recommend carrying gear like recovery boards, but they are not mandatory.

With your gear and vehicle in check, it’s time to get the permit. You are required to purchase a separate OSV pass to drive onto the beach, and they do check them! We saw rangers doing drive-by checks for OSV passes throughout the day, so don’t try to sneak on without one. Depending on the type of permit you buy, the cost ranges from $75-110. Most people only need the day use permit; you can only camp on the beach if you stay in a particular area called the “Bullpen”, and access there requires a self-contained vehicle with onboard water, toilet, etc. The day use permit is good from 5am until midnight, and the permit is valid for a year from the date of purchase. You have to purchase the permit at the ranger’s station in the park, and permits are affixed to the inside of your windshield.

Sunrise over the beach. We arrived very early and setup our tent to enjoy the sunrise on the beach

To keep the beach from becoming a total zoo, the National Park Service limits access to only 145 vehicles at the beach at any one time. If the beach is full, you have to wait in a one off/one on line to get on. Access is controlled via a gate that counts cars entering and exiting.

Weekends in the summer fill very very very quickly. We arrived one Saturday morning around 5:15am to watch the sunrise and the beach had 70 vehicles on the sand already. By 6:30am, the beach was full, and a long line of folks waiting their turn to get on formed. You don’t know how long you will wait to get onto the beach — some cars queued up for hours before it was their turn. Get there early!

Lauren looking out from our rooftop tent onto the sunrise over Assateague Island

A pro trick is to use a crowdsourced website called “OSV Count” to see how many cars are on the beach. The count is only as good as the last update, but it can offer a good gauge for how busy the beach is at any given time. They also have a nifty tide chart and weather at the bottom of the page to help you plan for the conditions.

Phew! You got your vehicle, permit, gear, and are one of the first 145 vehicles…. now what?

Make sure to park out of the surf and away from the high tide line

First, air down your tires to 15-18psi. There is a little place right at the gate perfect for letting air out of your tires. By deflating your tires this low, you will soften the ride and also put more rubber in contact with the sand, helping to improve traction on the sand. Be careful letting more than 15psi out of your tires… you could risk the tire separating from the wheel. Don’t worry, the NPS has provided air compressors at the exit so you can fill up before you drive on asphalt again.

As you pull onto the sand, it’s best to stay in the tracks of other vehicles. In fact, you’ll feel in your steering wheel that your car really wants to naturally stay in those existing tracks. The more the sand has been compacted down, the less likely you are to get stuck.

Proceed down the beach until you find a place you like to setup camp. The park regularly closes sections of the beach due to over wash conditions, bird nesting season, etc, and updates on the beach status can be found on the NPS-managed Facebook Page or the OSV Count website. It’s good manners to spread out and keep at least 50ft between you and the next vehicle, so don’t hesitate to drive down the beach a little ways and find a nice spot to relax.

When you find the perfect spot, cut slowly towards the water and make sure to park above the high tide line in the sand….otherwise you might find yourself in trouble later! It’s a good idea to pull forward and back a few times in order to compact the sand in your spot so that it’s easier to get out later.

The National Park Service is generous enough to let you have campfires on the beach, though you need to do so below the high tide line and you must extinguish the fire with water. We brought some fire wood from home, though there are plenty of stands nearby selling wood at reasonable prices. Make sure to bring a fire starter (kindling is almost impossible to find on the beach!), a lighter, and a shovel to dig a fire pit. You are required to bury your pit after use — make sure to be a responsible enjoyer of the campfire so that the NPS continues to permit beach fires for everyone.

Campfires are permitted on the beach, but pay special attention to the rules for having a fire

We made a full day of our beach ventures, bringing a cooler, chairs, sun awning, grill, etc with us. Fishing is also permitted from the beach, so you can make a full day out of your adventure.

When you are done with your beach trip, don’t forget to wash your car throughly. Even though you shouldn’t be driving in the surf, the sea spray, wind, and wet sand can all put salt water onto your car. That will corrode and destroy your vehicle, so give everything a good wash after to keep corrosion at bay.

Practice good habits, like deflating your tires and washing your car to remove salt residue to get the most out of your beach driving experience