Joe Heldmann writes: My son, and his friends and I were riding at our place downstream from Paw Paw and they were saying how they thought it would be fun to ride in the sand. Do you know if there is a place around Assateague Island where ATV riding near the ocean is permitted?

Outdoors Girl turned to Maryland Park Service Ranger Angela Baldwin (who also was one of the guardian angels on Park Quest 24/7), and here is her response: Both Assateague State Park and Assateague Island National Seashore offer many visitor services at the beach. The state park does not allow any motorized vehicles on the beach due to limited beachfront, which is used by campers and day-use visitors throughout the year. The national park does offer an over-sand-vehicle (OSV) zone to the south of its campground. However, there are some restrictions and requirements. The OSV zone is treated as an extension of the park roadway, which means vehicles must be licensed (with appropriate state license plate and decals displayed). The NPS web page for Assateague Island National Seashore details all of the requirements, including the service charges for passes to access the OSV zone and safety equipment required and precautions to be taken before driving on the beach: http://www.nps.gov/asis/upload/OSV08-2.pdf

If you have an outdoors question in search of an answer, send it to candy.thomson@baltsun.com