USFWS · Virginia, Maryland

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

The Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is a 14,000-acre (57 km2) wildlife preserve operated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. It is primarily located on the Virginia half of Assateague Island with portions located on the Maryland side of the island, as well as Morris Island and Wildcat Marsh. Mostly composed of beach, dunes, marsh, and maritime forest, the refuge contains a large variety of wildlife, including the Chincoteague pony. The purpose of the refuge is to maintain, regulate, and preserve animal and plant species as well as their habitats for present and future generations.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge12,338 acresUSFWSVAMD1 campground within 10 mi
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Sarah Stierch, licensed CC BY 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons.

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StatesVirginia, Maryland
Size12,338 acres
FWS regionRegion 5
Center point37.90° N, 75.37° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 38)

Boundary map

13 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 3.15 inches of precipitation, 3.5 inches of snowFebruary: 2.81 inches of precipitation, 2.3 inches of snowMarch: 3.91 inches of precipitation, 0.7 inches of snowApril: 3.12 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowMay: 3.20 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 3.39 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.37 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 4.32 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 4.33 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 4.02 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 2.88 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowDecember: 3.75 inches of precipitation, 1.7 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 37.9°F averageFebruary: 39.8°F averageMarch: 45.8°F averageApril: 55.1°F averageMay: 64.1°F averageJune: 73.2°F averageJuly: 78.2°F averageAugust: 76.5°F averageSeptember: 70.8°F averageOctober: 60.2°F averageNovember: 49.7°F averageDecember: 42.0°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 in5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Wallops Island Flight Fac, 6 miles from the center point at 38 feet, station USW00093739 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 43 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 8 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

None of the 1 federal campground within ten miles sits inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

NPS · 1.7 mi
Assateague Island National Seashore Campground
Reservable160 sites

Most refuges do not allow overnight camping. The campgrounds listed are outside the refuge.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Seashore · Adjacent
Assateague Island National Seashore
National Register listings within 15 miles · 40 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Virginia

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Paddling Virginia and West Virginia
    Charli Kerns, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Backpacking Virginia
    Johnny Molloy, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Tent Camping: Virginia
    Randy Porter, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge?

12,338 acres.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in?

The boundary crosses Virginia and Maryland.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge?

The refuge page says whether camping is allowed here. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 37.900° N, 75.370° W. Assateague Island National Seashore is adjacent. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Which national parks are near Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge?

Assateague Island National Seashore (adjacent). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge?

The National Register has 40 listings within 15 miles, including Assateague Lighthouse and Hill, Captain Timothy, House.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Photograph: the image Wikidata records for this refuge (Q5100328), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
  • Description: Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.