Rodman Gun on display at Fort Hancock, Gateway National Recreation Area

Sandy Hook Unit Home Page | Military Sites at Sandy Hook

The National Park Service has come up with a 39-stop walking tour of Fort Hancock that starts at the Sandy Hook Lighthouse. You can pick up a brochure at the Light Keeper’s Quarters, which is now the Sandy Hook Visitor Center. While the tour brochure shows the numbered stops, there is no information about the stops on the brochure. For that you’ll have to read the information signs in front of each building. If you like looking at old buildings, this tour is for you. Rangers also lead tours around the fort on select weekends throughout the year. For a schedule, see the National Park Service’s Calendar web page for Gateway National Recreation Area.

Download the Fort Hancock Walking Tour (PDF).

The Fort Hancock Walking Tour does not stop at the batteries at the fort. Most of these are closed, but a few are open to the public during select hours. For information on the batteries, see the Military Sites at Sandy Hook web page here on National Park Planner.

I spent 3.5 hours walking around the fort and covered a little over four miles of ground, though admittedly I doubled back to retrace my steps a number of times due to not following the tour map to a tee. The terrain is completely level, so if you have the time and can walk four miles, on foot is the best way to see the fort. You could use a bike as well, but don’t waste your time in a vehicle, for you must get in and out of the car 39 times to read the information signs.

I photographed nearly all buildings and have created a virtual tour. Each stop has its own web page and at the bottom is a link to go to the next or previous tour stop. You can also go directly to any stop by using the index below.

Stop 1: Sandy Hook Lighthouse (Bldgs 84 and 85)

Stop 2: Firehouse Number 2 (Bldg 76)

Stop 3: Gas Station (Bldg 60)

Stop 4: Handball Court (Bldg 40)

Stop 5: YMCA (Blgd 40)

Stop 6: Guardhouse and Jail (Bldg 28)

Stop 7: Noncommissioned Officer Family Housing (Bldgs 29, 30, 52, 64)

Stop 8: Post Exchange (Bldg 70)

Stop 9: Athletic Field

Stop 10: Post Commissary (Bldg 47)

Stop 11: Quartermaster Storehouse (Bldg 32)

Stop 12: Bakery (Bldg 33)

Stop 13: Firehouse Number 1 (Bldg 51)

Stop 14: Mule Barn (Bldg 36)

Stop 15: Officers’ Club (Bldg 114)

Stop 16: Temporary Barracks (Bldg 156)

Stop 17: Master Mechanic’s Quarters (Site only)

Stop 18: Chemical Laboratory (Bldg 109)

Stop 19: Locomotive Engineer’s House (Bldg 108)

Stop 20: Proving Ground Foreman’s House (Bldg 104)

Stop 21: Fort Hancock School (Bldg 102)

Stop 22: Mobilization Building (Bldg 120)

Stop 23: Army Docks

Stop 24: Post Chapel (Bldg 35)

Stop 25: Officers’ Row (Bldgs 1-18)

Stop 26: Post Theater (Bldg 67)

Stop 27: History House (Bldg 1)

Stop 28: World War II Victory Garden

Stop 29: Officers’ Duplex Housing (Bldg 21)

Stop 30: Enlisted Men’s Barracks (Bldgs 22-25 and 74)

Stop 31: Bachelor Officers’ Quarters (Bldg 27)

Stop 32: Post Headquarters (Bldg 26)

Stop 33: Post Hospital (Site only)

Stop 34: Hospital Steward’s Quarters (Bldg 20)

Stop 35: Morgue (Bldg 326)

Stop 36: Parade Ground

Stop 37: Why Is It Called Sandy Hook?

Stop 38: New York Yankees vs Hometown Sluggers

Stop 39: Mess Hall (Bldgs 55-58)

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