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The entrance to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is just a quarter of a mile from your room at the Refuge Inn — perfect for exploring the island on foot or by bicycle. Beyond the gate and bridge you’ll find fourteen thousand acres of beach, dune… Read more
A Quiet New Year on Chincoteague The week between Christmas and New Year's is a favorite here on Chincoteague, and a lot of our guests come back for it every year. You can spend the morning with the swans and snow geese on the refuge and ring in the … Read more
Thanksgiving weekend is our favorite time on Chincoteague. The summer crowds have gone home, the marsh has turned gold, the snow geese are on the refuge by the thousands, and for four days the refuge opens roads it keeps closed the rest of the year. … Read more
The Refuge Inn sits at 7058 Maddox Boulevard, between downtown Chincoteague and the entrance to the wildlife refuge. In summer that means you can park when you arrive and leave the car alone. Nearly everything below is closer than the beach. Hours on… Read more
Spring is a lovely time to have Chincoteague to yourself. The foals begin arriving in the pasture, the warblers pour through the Woodland Trail in waves, the mosquitoes have not yet hatched, and the island is quiet and unhurried before the season beg… Read more
As the summer crowds head home with the school buses, the island settles into its finest season. The water stays warm well into October, the birds pour down the Atlantic Flyway, and you can find a parking space anywhere you like. Come and enjoy Chinc… Read more
February looks like January for about two weeks, and then it doesn’t. Winter still holds the island — the swans are on Swan Cove, the Snow Geese are still commuting to the mainland fields, and the ducks are still rafted on the impoundments. But this … Read more
By January, winter has fully settled in on Chincoteague. The comings and goings of fall are over, and the birds that remain have chosen this island as their winter home. This is the most static month of the year on the refuge — nothing is arriving, n… Read more
As the calendar tip-toes into November, the refuge becomes rich in winter arrivals, resident returnees, quieter trails, and golden-hour marsh light. The crisp air and fewer visitors make it a wonderful time for walking the trails, stopping when a bir… Read more
September is a great month on the birding calendar here. Three migrations are stacked on top of each other at once. Shorebirds are moving through in real numbers now. Raptors funnel down the Delmarva Peninsula and stall out right here rather than cro… Read more