North Beach at the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area

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North Beach is located within Fort Hancock near the northern end of the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. It is best accessed from Parking Lot I, though if this fills up, Lot J is nearly as close. This is the least visited beach at Sandy Hook, so if you want to get away from the crowds, this is the place to come. On the same day when the parking lots at Beach C and D were nearly full by noon, at North Beach there were twelve cars in the parking lot when I arrived at 1:30 PM.

While there is no fee to enter Sandy Hook or to enjoy the beaches, there is a fee to park at any of the beach access parking lots from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend between the hours of 8 AM and 6 PM. Such lots will have a US FEE AREA sign at the entrance (Parking Lots B, C, D, E, G, I, J, and K). Daily and seasonal passes are available (no cash accepted). See the National Park Service’s official Gateway National Recreation Area Fees and Passes web page for the latest prices. Again, fees are for parking only, so if you walk, bike, or get dropped off, there is no charge to use the beaches.

Parking Lot I holds around 350 vehicles, and another 200 can fit in Lot J. The bathhouse and concession area for North Beach is located between the two lots.

Except for service animals, pets are not allowed on the Atlantic Ocean beaches from March 15th through September 15th. You can bring them to the Sandy Hook Bay beaches anytime provided that they are on a leash.

There are no lifeguards on duty at North Beach. Swimming is only allowed on beach with lifeguards, though I saw plenty of people at all beaches within the Sandy Hook unit of Gateway National Recreation Area.

BEACH REVIEW

I complained about the expansive width of the beaches at the southern end of Sandy Hook and the long walk from the parking lot to the water, but North Beach is ridiculous! The beach itself is a quarter-mile wide, and it’s another tenth of a mile walk from the parking lot. On top of that, there’s not even an ADA compliant matt that you can walk on as there is at Gunnison Beach a little to the south. Here you must walk on the loose beach sand, taking two steps just to move one forward. It’s not the end of the world if you show up with a tote bag, but if you have a cooler, beach gear, and a bunch of kids, that’s a crazy walk. No wonder it’s the least visited beach.

Satellite view of North Beach

Wide expanse of sand at Sandy Hook’s North Beach, Gateway National Recreation Area

When you start out on your journey across the beach, the sand is full of shells and small pebbles, and it doesn’t get any better until you reach the point where the waves pound the sand flat at the shoreline. That makes the sand at North Beach the worst at Sandy Hook. Unless you have very tough soles on your feet, I suggest wearing some type of footwear until you get to your final destination. Strap-on sandals won’t do much good because the pebbles get stuck between your foot and the sole of the shoe. Flip-flops fare better since the sand and pebbles can easily fall away as the shoe flips and flops. I wore my hiking books, so closed-toe shoes aren’t a bad idea either. Furthermore, never attempt to walk across a beach this wide barefoot because the sand can become hot enough to burn your feet.

The only smooth sand at Sandy Hook’s North Beach is at the shoreline, Gateway National Recreation Area

One positive aspect of being so difficult to reach is that less people means less trash, which is somewhat of a problem on the beaches at Gateway National Recreation Area. The National Park Service’s “trash free” policy doesn’t help matters either. This means that no trash cans are provided, so you must bring your trash home with you. Yeah, right! Besides, it’s a little too late when you arrive at the beach only to discover that there are no trash cans when you didn’t bring any bags with you. I hate to be negative about humanity, but many people have no qualms about tossing trash on the sand, behind a dune, in the restrooms, or in the picnic areas, especially when there are no trash cans around.

AMENITIES

North Beach has a concession stand building that doubles as an observation deck (the concession stand no longer operates). On the top deck are eight picnic tables and over a dozen wayside exhibits. Subjects range from New York City to nature to the military. Just around the corner from the concessions area is what’s left of the Sandy Hook Proving Ground where new weapons were tested. If you like military history, be sure to check it out.

Sandy Hook’s North Beach concession stand and observation deck, Gateway National Recreation Area

Picnic tables on the top deck of the North Beach concessions building in the Sandy Hook unit of Gateway National Recreation Area

Wayside exhibits and a view of the beach from Sandy Hook’s North Beach concessions building, Gateway National Recreation Area

On the lower level is a bathhouse with restrooms and changing areas, three picnic tables, another wayside exhibit, and four outdoor rinse-off showers.

Bathhouse and showers at Sandy Hook’s North Beach, Gateway National Recreation Area

Ground level picnic tables at Sandy Hook’s North Beach, Gateway National Recreation Area

Located at the center of the upper deck is a boardwalk. It forks after fifty yards, with a right leading out to the beach and a left circling back around to the front of the concession stand building, but on the lower level. I suspect its true intention is to be a wheelchair access ramp between the two levels.

Boardwalk to Sandy Hook’s North Beach and handicap access ramp to the top of the North Beach concession stand, Gateway National Recreation Area

The National Park Service now uses food trucks for concessions, and they are supposed to be at all beaches between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend. However, there were none at North Beach when I visited on a Saturday in August, and with only twelve cars in the parking lot it’s no wonder why. So unless you just want to avoid the crowds, there is no reason to choose North Beach. You have to drive all the way to the end of Sandy Hook to get there, it’s a helluva long walk to the ocean, the sand is awful, and there are no food vendors.

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