Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
Nature preserve
856 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Mbinebri / Matthew Binebrink · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Chincoteague
More than half of Chincoteague’s land is conserved: 100%
100% of Chincoteague’s land is conserved, about 7,566 acres. 3,006 acres are parks and preserves, 912 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (1 mi).
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns · #40 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
100%
7,566 acres · of 9.3 sq mi of land
Trails
4.3 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,006 ac
912 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
57%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.0 mi
1.1 mi lanes · 2.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
12
7 beaches · 6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Chincoteague?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Chincoteague have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chincoteague is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #40 of 253 in Virginia. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Chincoteague’s overall grade.
Conserved land100% of the land · typical VA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · VA 0.7 · U.S. 0.4BPark land912 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,006 acres) · VA 8 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home57% of residents within a half mile of a park · VA 76% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 89%
LessMore
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 85%
Water is more than half of Chincoteague’s area (28 of 37 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 32%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 5 parks & preserves
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge856 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsWaterfront Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMemorial Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDonald J. Leonard Park2 acres
DirectionsMariner's Point1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
7,566 conserved acres
100% of Chincoteague’s land. Water is left out: Chincoteague has 9.3 square miles of land and 28.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Chincoteague’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service5,805 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service2,074 ac
Other state land1,054 ac
Town or city74 ac
Not recorded1,128 ac
National Lakeshore or Seashore · 5,805 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 2,074 acState Resource Management Area · 1,054 acState Other or Unknown · 1,054 acLocal Other or Unknown · 148 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assateague Island National Seashore National Lakeshore or Seashore | National Park Service | 5,805 | Open |
| Tidal Lands State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 2,108 | Closed |
| Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 2,074 | Restricted |
| Chincoteague Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 148 | Restricted |
Things to do
26 places to go in Chincoteague
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Chincoteague
7 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Chincoteague
9 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Chincoteague
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Chincoteague
6 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Chincoteague
Pine Grove CampgroundFee
DirectionsSun Outdoors
DirectionsTom's Cove ParkHours: Mar 1 - Nov 30 · Fee
DirectionsTrails & water
12 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
4.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.1 mi
off-road bike paths
0.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
5Tennis
4Baseball
3Pickleball
1Beach volleyball
1Skate park
1Volleyball
1Basketball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Chincoteague: April to June and August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 46 | 48 | 54 | 64 | 72 | 81 | 86 | 85 | 79 | 70 | 59 | 51 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.1 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.3 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Chincoteague →
Questions about parks and trails in Chincoteague
Where can I hike in Chincoteague?
The longest trail networks: Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, 1 miles; Memorial Park, 0.1 miles; Waterfront Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Chincoteague is conserved land?
100% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Virginia town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Chincoteague’s trails?
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Chincoteague?
4.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.1 of painted or protected lanes, 2.1 of off-road paths and 0.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Chincoteague?
25,647 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chincoteague or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,006 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Chincoteague have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #40 of 253 in Virginia. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Chincoteague neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →