Great Kills Park Beach on Staten Island, Gateway National Recreation Area
Staten Island Unit Home Page | Great Kills Park Home Page
The only decent place to swim within the Staten Island Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area is the beach at Great Kills Park. First off, there is a bathhouse—called the Beach Center—where you can change into your swimsuit and rinse off afterwards in the outdoor showers. The Beach Center used to house a concession stand as well, but that concept has been abandoned. The National Park Service has switched to the use of mobile food trucks during the summer season. However, there is no fixed schedule, so food service at Great Kills Park beach is hit or miss. (Note: There is also a Great Kills Park located a little farther to the north in Oakwood and New Dorp Beach that is run by New York City Parks.)
Beach Center at Great Kills Park on Staten Island, Gateway National Recreation Area
Second, lifeguards are on duty at Great Kills Park Beach on Thursdays through Sundays from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekends between the hours of 10 AM and 6 PM, making this the only beach within the Staten Island Unit to have lifeguards (swimming is only allowed when lifeguards are on duty). Furthermore, unlike the lifeguarded beaches at Sandy Hook and Jamaica Bay, there is no charge for parking.
Lifeguard at Gateway National Recreation Area’s Great Kills Park Beach
Lifeguarded beach at Great Kills Park, Gateway National Recreation Area
However, the main reason why the Great Kills Park Beach is the only beach worth visiting is because it is the only beach that has a “garbage tractor” that rakes the sand and sucks out the garbage each morning (or at least often enough to keep the place palatable). The entire beach isn’t combed, but enough is kept clean to accommodate the crowds.
Tractor tracks indicate the Great Kills Park Beach has been combed for garbage, Gateway National Recreation Area
I was told that the areas that weren’t raked are left alone because of bird nesting, but if birds are nesting in that much garbage, I don’t know how their chicks survive. See the following photos for an example of the raked section of the beach and the section that is left alone.
Section of Great Kills Park Beach that has been cleaned of trash, Gateway National Recreation Area
Section of Great Kills Park Beach that has not been cleaned of trash, Gateway National Recreation Area
Though much cleaner than the Fort Wadsworth and Miller Field beaches, the Great Kills Park Beach is still subject to rocks and shells, making walking difficult for people with baby-soft feet like mine. The rocks are small pebbles, so it’s like walking on marbles. New Yorkers must have tough feet, because those on the beach seemed not to mind. I’m used to soft Florida sand and had to wear shoes on this beach.
Pebbles and shells at Great Kills Park Beach, Gateway National Recreation Area
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Last updated on December 2, 2024
