Gateway National Recreation Area - Sandy Hook Unit
Sandy Hook, N.J.
Visited: December 5, 2006
NPS Site Visited: 331 of 353
NPS Website
WHAT IS IT?
A 26,000-acre urban National Park consisting of three disconnected Units (Jamaica Bay, Staten Island and Sandy Hook) which are spread throughout three New York City boroughs and northern New Jersey.
This review covers Gateway NRA's New Jersey lands: the Sandy Hook Unit. Sandy Hook's 2,000 acres include Atlantic Ocean beaches, the U.S. Army's first proving ground and the oldest continuously operated lighthouse in the United States.
BEAUTY (3/10)
Sandy Hook's visceral charms were lost on us during our winter visit. Its northern beach's dunes are highlighted by giant slabs of concrete, remnants of mortar and gun batteries. There are enough fences and “keep out” signs to give the impression that there might still be some live ammo.
The views of New York Harbor offer no grand Manhattan vistas and no peeks at the Statue of Liberty. In the distance, the Brooklyn and Staten Island shores take on a rugged post-apocalyptic industrial air, beckoning only to the freighters that creep by. Fort Hancock's decaying and deceptively unabandoned yellow military buildings don't add any visual charm. Sandy Hook could be the least attractive Atlantic Ocean barrier island beach location.
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE (3/10)
The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, built in 1764, is our nation's oldest. The Army tested weapons at Fort Hancock's gun batteries for over 150 years.
 CROWDS (6/10)
Between 2 and 2.5 million people visit “the hook” every year. We are guessing most of those are summer visits. Sandy Hook's five life-guarded beaches get so crowded in the summer and parking is so scarce that the Park suggests arriving before 10 a.m. or after 2 p.m. on weekends.
Gunnison Beach is a clothing optional beach that attracts 5,000 visitors every summer weekend. The NPS makes no note of this beach's policy on their website.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (3/5)
The Park's entrance is located along the elbow of New Jersey Route 36. Route 36 connects to the Garden State Parkway in the north from Exit 117 and the south at Exit 105. From these exits, it is a 20-mile slog to the Park entrance. It took us 45 minutes to travel the one-lane, stop-light laden Route 36 through Long Branch and Monmouth Beach...in December! We can only imagine the beachgoer-induced headaches that summer traffic brings.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (3/5)
The Sandy Hook Visitor Center's small book selection underscores the fact that this is a recreational park meant for carefree summer fun rather than environmental or historical learning. During the summer, a private concessionaire sells food and drink at all six beaches and operates a restaurant just south of the Visitor Center.
The Park utilizes a strict carry-in carry-out policy. Trash cans are few and far between. If you bring food, drink, disposable containers, plastics, etc... in, then be prepared to cart them out.
COSTS (3/5)
From Memorial Day through Labor Day there is a $10 per car parking fee, half off with the National Parks Pass.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (3/5)
We talked to a Ranger and a pleasant SCA volunteer during our mid-week off-season stop.
 TOURS/CLASSES (4/10)
The Visitor Center museum barrier island-related exhibits were forgettable. The Fort Hancock Museum, which covers the area's military heritage, was closed for the season. Lighthouse tours are weekend-only during the off-season. Ditto for tours of an army lieutenant's residence restored to its 1898 appearance.
The New Jersey Audubon Society operates a bird observatory in Fort Hancock's Building 20 and offers weekly bird walks during much of the year. Here's their calendar of events.
FUN (3/10)
The one-lane drive from Route 36 from Monmouth follows the Atlantic Ocean northward for seven miles until you get to Sandy Hook NRA's entrance. On the left side are huge, weathered beach houses. On the right are parking lots and beach entrances. Both are enclosed by locked gates and both sport signs reading “Private Property. Do Not Enter.”
Sandy Hook's beaches were set aside for public use in 1970 giving millions of northern New Jersey residents a nearby public beach destination. Not everyone who wants to swim can afford a beach house.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (3/10)
If you live in New Jersey, you already have your personal favorite Jersey shore beach. Heck, if you live on the east coast you probably have a preferred Atlantic coast beach. Sandy Hook and other north Jersey beaches rank at the bottom of our beach lists. There is no need to make this Site your new summer vacation spot but that doesn't mean we are not thankful that it is there.
TOTAL 36/80
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