BERLIN – Assateague Island National Seashore announced this week the off-season construction and improvements to the Life of the Marsh Trail and the Life of the Forest Trail have been completed.
Construction on these trails has been in progress since the fall in an effort to make them more accessible to all visitors, to improve the overall visitor experience on the trails and to increase the lifetime of the trails.
An improved Life of the Marsh Trail is pictured.
Accessibility features have been improved to allow a better experience for visitors using wheelchairs, guide canes or other mobility resources. Sight lines for children have also been improved with viewshed overlook opportunities. Two major additions are amphitheater style seating areas on both trails, and the replacement of the stairs leading to the beach on the Marsh trail with a ramp.
The Marsh and Forest Trails are great places to view wildlife and birds in the solitude of the bayside marsh environment. These trails offer great photo opportunities away from the beach in Assateague’s less visited habitat zones.
Improvements are also underway on the Life of the Dunes Trail, but it is not anticipated that this work will result in any closures.
These projects were funded by park entrance and pass fees and are examples of fee dollars at work. Eighty
A new seating area is pictured on the Life of the Forest Trail. Submitted Photos
percent of all revenue from Assateague Island National Park entrance fees or the local sales of the various Federal Interagency Passes stays in the park to fund this type of visitor related project. The other 20% goes into a fund which can be used by parks with no entrance fee or very low fee revenues.
Examples of other projects funded in the last year are the new boardwalk at the Maryland Visitor Center, renovation of the Old Ferry Landing area, renovation of a well on the island, design of a new freshwater distribution system for the island, and replacement of the entrance sign at the visitor center.
Visitors are reminded that pets, bicycles, skateboards, hoverboards and roller skates are not allowed on park trails. This is a safety regulation due to the confined space on the trails, combined with the high volume of visitors often using the trails at the same time.
In a change for this season, Assateague Island National Seashore will also be changing the speed limit on Bayside Drive. The speed limit will drop from 25 mph to 15 mph in a continuing effort to make the island safer. Bayside Drive has a large number of bicyclists, many of whom are children. There is not a bike lane along this road, which leads to the Bicycle Rental Concession. This change will make Bayside the same speed as Old Ferry Landing. Going forward, the only areas still 25 mph are the majority of Bayberry Drive. Drivers are reminded that there is no place on the island where the speed limit is more than 25 mph.
A final reminder is the speed limit in all camping loops and parking lots is 10 mph. Also, camping loops are limited to registered campers only. If you are not a registered camper, you should not be driving through or parking in the camping loops. Please respect the rights of campers who should be able to experience a safe and quite experience.
A press release announcing the changes read, “We hope that these changes make Assateague Island National Seashore a safer and more accessible place for people to continue to enjoy the beach, the wildlife, and the outdoor environment.”
For general information about the Seashore and park activities access the park’s web site at www.nps.gov/asis or call 410-641-1441.