Beach at Watch Hill
Fire Island Lighthouse Beaches
GENERAL BEACH INFORMATION
The beaches at Fire Island National Seashore are of excellent quality, with fine sand and largely free of rocks, shells, pebbles, and most importantly, trash. My only other experience with New York beaches was at Gateway National Recreation Area, and with a few exceptions, those were awful—might as well go swimming at the local dump. Free of the cesspool created by New York Harbor, Fire Island beaches remain pristine, and being a National Seashore, free from development. Visiting such a beach is just as if you were visiting a thousand years ago. I’m from Georgia and spent most of my “beach life” in Florida, and I’d go so far as to say that the Fire Island beaches are just as nice as those in Florida.
While the beaches are excellent, the water rarely gets above 75º F (24º C), and then only in July and August—I visited in July. Short of lukewarm water, I don’t like to go swimming, but I did jump in. If I can do it, anyone can do it. The water is cold, but it’s not that cold, and I did get used to it rather quickly.
Kids playing in the ocean at Watch Hill
The entire 32-mile stretch of the Fire Island Atlantic Coast is a beach, and visitors are free to swim anywhere as long as the beach is open (sections are closed periodically for bird and turtle nesting). Even the beaches that run in front of the private communities are owned by the National Park Service, so nothing prevents you from walking the entire island along the beach if you so desire. It is doubtful, however, than any non-residents use the beaches at the private communities since they are a long way from the nearest parking areas at the very western and eastern ends of Fire Island National Seashore.
While you can swim anywhere you want to, the National Park Service prefers that visitors swim at the lifeguarded beaches at Sailors Haven and Watch Hill, both of which are best reached by ferry or private boat. Lifeguards are on duty on the weekends from Memorial Day weekend until late June, and then daily from through Labor Day. Lifeguards are also on duty on the weekends from July 4th through Labor Day at Barrett Beach, plus you can always use the beaches at Robert Moses State Park and Smith Point County Park, which cap the island at both ends and are accessible by vehicle. Many of the private communities also provide lifeguards on the adjacent beaches during the summer. The National Park Service specifically mentions the Town of Brookhaven (Davis Park) and the Town of Islip (Atlantique Beach) on its Fire Island National Seashore website. But as mentioned, unless you are a resident or renting a home, there’s no real reason to use these beaches. None are accessible by vehicle.
Guests can also swim in the Great South Bay, but it isn’t all that practical. Much of the shoreline is covered in tick- and poison ivy-infested vegetation, and there are very few paths down to the bay.
Some of the more remote beach areas at Fire Island National Seashore have been turned into unofficial nude beaches. Though technically illegal, the National Park Service tolerates the practice and has never enforced the anti-nudity laws, which are state, not federal laws. However, after Hurricane Sandy leveled many of the sand dunes that provided seclusion for the nude bathers, people started to complain, and the National Park Service has attempted to put a stop to it on the beaches it directly manages, which includes fining those breaking the rules. Areas that are now being policed are the beaches at the Fire Island Lighthouse, the Sailors Haven beach between the communities of Point O’ Woods and Cherry Grove, a half mile on either side of Barrett Beach, one mile on either side of Watch Hill, and the beaches from the Otis Pike Wilderness Visitor Center down to the breach at Old Inlet. Beaches in front of private communities are of no concern to the National Park Service.
National Park Service cracks down on nude bathers
I’m not sure how well the policing is going because I encountered multiple nude bathers along the Wilderness beaches. I will say that the bathers at least had the courtesy to put up privacy fences so they could not be seen, and they do walk a good ways from the populated areas before settling down. Others covered themselves up when they saw me coming.
Privacy fence used by a nude bather
Beaches in some of the private communities are known for nudity, such as the predominately gay and lesbian towns of Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines. Private communities are not subject to National Park Service regulations, but are instead regulated by the Suffolk County Police. They’d have to sneak an undercover cop onto the island to arrest anyone, so needless to say this does not happen. The only National Seashore beach that won’t be policed for nudity is the section between Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines known as the Meatrack.
No pets are allowed on any of the beaches at Fire Island National Seashore from March 15th through Labor Day.
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on May 28, 2020
