Satellite view of Breezy Point

Jamaica Bay Unit Home Page

Breezy Point is the westernmost tip of the Rockaway Peninsula, and it is part of the Jamaica Bay unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. The community of Breezy Point lies between it and Fort Tilden, another part of the park. A permit is required to park at Breezy Point, so nearly all people making the journey are fishermen who paid for a parking permit or members of the Breezy Point Surf Club, an authorized concessionaire-run beach club for members and guests with a lot of money to spend.

The Breezy Point neighborhood is private and owns all of the land between the National Park Service land at Breezy Point and Fort Tilden. Other than Rockaway Point Boulevard, non-residents or those not renting a beach house or doing business with the community are not welcome on any of the neighborhood streets. Upon arrival, the road splits, with one lane for those living or doing business in the Breezy Point community and one for those heading to the National Park Service land. There is a guardhouse at the split. Once past the guards, drive all the way to the end of Rockaway Point Boulevard where—depending on your parking permit—you can either park at the 222nd Street Fisherman’s Lot (located just before the guard gate for the Breezy Point Surf Club) or turn off onto a sand road and head to the sand parking lot near the water.

No special fishing license is required from the National Park Service to fish at Gateway National Recreation Area, but those 16 and older must enroll in the free New York Recreational Marine Fishing Registry, and all New York State fishing regulations apply. Shell fishing is not allowed due to health concerns stemming from contaminated shellfish in the park waters.

While no special fishing license is required from the National Park Service to fish at Gateway National Recreation Area, a fishing parking lot permit is required to park in certain parking lots that cater to fishermen. Such permits are valid throughout the entire Recreation Area, so you don’t need to buy one for each park unit or a specific location. However, these permits are not valid for all parking lots. For example, a fishing parking lot permit is not valid for parking in beach parking lots that require a permit, such as those at Sandy Hook and Jacob Riis Park Beach. In most cases, a sign at the entrance of a parking lot states what type of permit is required. Keep in mind that the permit is a parking permit, not a fishing permit. It is not required if you walk, bike, or get dropped off at a fishing location. The permit is good for both daytime and nighttime parking (where nighttime parking is allowed).

Permits are only available for purchase online at Recreation.gov (if this link does not work, go to Recreation.gov and search for Gateway NRA Fishing Access permits). They are typically only sold from March 1st through April 30th and for a few weeks in September (sale periods are subject to change). Regardless of when you purchase a permit, it is only valid until March 31st the following year. There is no pro-rated fee. Furthermore, there is a limited number of permits for sale.

While you purchase the permit online, you must take your receipt to a specified location within the park to redeem it for an actual parking sticker. Locations are given on Recreation.gov. You need one permit for each of your vehicles. They are not transferable.

Permits are required as follows at Breezy Point:

222nd Street Fisherman’s Parking Lot

• Permits are required year-round at all times of the day

Sand Parking Lot

• An Off-Road Vehicle permit is required year-round at all times of day
• The Off-Road permit serves as a standard fishing parking lot permit throughout Gateway National Recreation Area

Off-Road Vehicle permits are also sold exclusively through Recreation.gov. In addition to purchasing a permit, you must schedule a vehicle inspection at the Ryan Visitor Center. Details are given on Recreation.gov. A very limited number of Off-Road Vehicle permits are sold each year. They typically go on sale March 1st, and they sell out in a few weeks. Permits are typically valid starting April 1st.

It is about a half-mile walk to the water from the 222nd Street parking lot, not to mention that on foot you are pretty much limited to fishing only as far as you care to walk once you hit the water. However, with an Off-Road Vehicle permit for Breezy Point, you can drive on the sand road to the sand parking lot—and even on the beach itself at certain times of the year—for fishing purposes only. While permits are good for a year, beach driving at Breezy Point is prohibited from March 15th through September 15th due to piping plover nesting season (a protected bird), so you must park at the Sand Parking Lot and walk .2 mile to the water.