When to go to Chincoteague or Assateague

[Anonymous]

I want to take my daughter to see the ponies. Not the thing where they swim in July. I just want to see them walking around. When do I need to go to avoid the horrid flies? A Google search suggests we need to go before the end of April or not until October. Does that sound right?

[Anonymous]

We go to Assateague from May to September and almost always see some ponies on our way in to the park (and sometimes in the park).

[Anonymous]

I mean you can stay in chincoteague and drive through the park and see them every time. All summer.

[Anonymous]

This is OP. I wasn’t clear. I’m asking when to go to avoid the flies.

[Anonymous]

Before mid May is fine.

You won't see ponies in Chincoteaque though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I wasn’t clear. I’m asking when to go to avoid the flies.

OP the time I visited was in April, adjacent to a professional training I attended in DC - afterward I rented a car and drove to Chincoteague and spent a long weekend there.

I stayed at Miss Molly’s B&B which was very nice.

Visited the park and took a bus tour and saw the ponies, did a bunch of tooling around in my rental car and saw lots of lovely birds too.

I’m sure it’s busier and such in later spring and summer but I found the early spring visit was very nice weather and no bugs that I recall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I wasn’t clear. I’m asking when to go to avoid the flies.

OP the time I visited was in April, adjacent to a professional training I attended in DC - afterward I rented a car and drove to Chincoteague and spent a long weekend there.

I stayed at Miss Molly’s B&B which was very nice.

Visited the park and took a bus tour and saw the ponies, did a bunch of tooling around in my rental car and saw lots of lovely birds too.

I’m sure it’s busier and such in later spring and summer but I found the early spring visit was very nice weather and no bugs that I recall.

The park is on Assateague and is a very short drive away.

[Anonymous]

It isn't the flies that will get you. It is the mosquitoes. I used a can of Deep Woods Off last time I visited over the summer, and I still had multiple bites on me. They are relentless and horribly unpleasant.
April or May would be best. Or any time after mid-October, just be aware that half of Chincoteague shuts down late fall through early spring.

[Anonymous]

I always go the beginning of October. It’s beautiful. There are often storms but we’ve mostly had good luck. Sometimes it’s even warm enough to swim. Book a boat tour, they’ll take you around the bay to see the ponies, possibly spot eagles and dolphins. It gets colder on the water so pack layers and a blanket We like Daisey for the sunset tour.

[Anonymous]

If you’re not sitting on the beach and a bathing suit, the flies aren’t gonna bother you

[Anonymous]

We went for spring break one year and saw a lot of pones on the boat tour. We did Captain Dan’s. No mosquitoes or flies because it was still pretty cold; so also no swimming

[Anonymous]

Rent a bike at the bike depot to ride over to Assateague. It’s a great way to experience the island.

[Anonymous]

We’ve camped at Assateague Memorial Day weekend a few times, and the bugs were not bad yet then. I’ve heard they are really neg in the middle of summer.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been to both Assateague and Chincoteague several times from April through October and have never noticed a fly issue. It’s the mosquitoes that will torment you. DH and I literally ran away from them on a walk and they kept up, biting through our clothes and followed us into our car! We were covered in welts. This was in the fall after a hurricane came close. But summer is also bad. Your best bet is probably May or early June when the spring rains are over.

Avoid the walking trails. They are beautiful but that’s where the mosquitoes are worst. But they can be other places, including the McDonalds parking lot. There are none on the beach.

If in Chincoteague, do the Daisey boat tour to see the ponies and dolphins. In Assateague, though, you can get much closer to the ponies. They hang out by the side of the road.

[Anonymous]

We’ve gone twice in late March/early April and it was lovely. Only downside was not everything was open for the season but there was still plenty for us to do.