ASSATEAGUE, MD

From: richard@West.Sun.COM (Richard M. Mathews)

  ASSATEAGUE National Seashore in Maryland is about a 2.5 to 3 hour drive
  from Baltimore or Washington, DC.  The CO area is in the National Seashore,
  but you need to walk through the State Park to get to it.  Note that the
  Virginia end of Assateague National Seashore and the Assateague State
  Park in Maryland are off-limits to nude use.  It is the Maryland portion
  of the National Seashore which is CO.

  To get there, take US 50 east.  As you approach Ocean City, look for
  Maryland route 611 on your right.  Turn right onto 611 and follow signs
  to Assateague *State* Park -- at the bridge, go straight.  Parking is
  $2.00/person (1993 price).  The beach itself is free.  At the bathhouse,
  face the ocean, turn left, and walk northward up the beach for about
  45-60 minutes or until you see other nude people, whichever comes
  first.  Unfortunately, you won't find a group of people; they usually
  just scatter all up and down the beach, so there is very little cohesion
  among the visitors.  What a shame.  The beach is supposed to be marked
  with kilometer signs which start counting from the Ocean City Inlet and
  increase southward.  These are sometimes tough to see, but they serve
  to provide you a location on the beach.  The boundary of the CO area is
  at about the 7.0 marker and was demarked by the end of the sand fence
  along the dunes, unless it has washed away.  Previously there was a
  "National Park Service Boundary" sign, which is now gone.  Also gone
  are the telephone poles which served as markers in years past.

  Bring lots of fly repellent.

+ Weather reports for the area can be found at
+   http://www.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/Webweather/ww?city=sby

  As for the park police, unless there is a complaint they do not say or
  do anything.
  	(Note: As of September, 1993, this beach is having problems
  	with law enforcement.  New information is needed regarding
  	whether the rangers who are harassing nude bathers are
  	with NPS or with the State, what *specific* laws they
  	say they are enforcing, exactly where you encountered
  	the rangers, were there textiles around, etc.  Post
  	info to rec.nude or mail it to the editor of this FAQ
  	for anonymous posting.  It has been speculated that the
  	rangers are hoping to put pressure on the nudists to get
  	us to put pressure on some trouble-makers who have been
  	flaunting their nudity in front of textiles.  If that's
  	the case, it would be to our benefit to try to make sure
  	everyone around us is being suitably discrete.  To be
  	safe, stay north of the 7.0 km marker, be respectful
  	of clothed visitors, and cover up if you see a ranger
  	approaching.  Old information follows...)
  In fact, they can't; Maryland state law says that, in effect, you cannot
  "indecently expose" yourself to a law enforcement agent.  According to
  an NPS ranger, there must be a third party involved.  If there is a
  complaint, they will come up the beach, take your name and address,
  and ask you to get dressed.  Nothing else will happen unless there is
  a *written* complaint to the state, which almost never happens.  I have
  been there several times and only once has there been a complaint.  The
  ranger responding to the complaint seemed sympathetic to naturism and
  was really just doing his job.  Other times when I have been there, the
  rangers drove/walked/boated by, waved to the nude people and the nude
  people waved back.  Pretty congenial.  By the way, this should not be
  taken to imply that the nude section is official; it is not, and the
  park service will not go on record as tolerating it -- but in actual
  practice, they do.  My advice is to not even worry about the authorities
  unless there is a complaint; and if there's a complaint, don't sweat it
  'cause almost no one ever makes the written complaint necessary to press
  charges.
  	[Original from Mark Cornick <cornick@delphi.com>]