Gateway National Recreation Area

You can camp at all three units of Gateway, in the shadow of NYC.
Spanning 27,000 acres from Sandy Hook in New Jersey to Breezy Point in New York City, the park is both the gateway from the ocean into New York Harbor, and the gateway to the National Park Service for millions of visitors every year. Gateway offers green spaces and beaches alongside historic structures and cultural landscapes. Every day, Gateway is open for you to explore, envision, and enjoy!
Map showing location of park.
Partial Closure of Crooke’s Point at Great Kills Park Due to US Army Corps Dredging Project
Staten Island, NY –There will be a partial closure of Crooke’s Point beginning October 4, 2024. The parking area will remain open, and there will still be access to the shoreline. Visitors with a valid 2024 fishing access parking permit will still be able to use the site.
beach and boardwalk with people
Construction Begins on Jacob Riis Park Boardwalk
Queens, NY –Construction begins on the Jacob Riis Park Boardwalk this week. This project focuses on the eastern end of the boardwalk and is expected to be complete by the end of December. Contractors will reconstruct the boardwalk surface, rehabilitate approximately twenty benches, and construct a new accessibility ramp near the bathhouse.
Beach seen through arched entrance of building
Swimming Beach at Great Kills Park is Closed Until Further Notice
Staten Island, NY –The beaches at Great Kills Park are closed for swimming. Bacterial levels in water samples taken from this body of water exceed local, state and National Park Service standards for recreational activity.
Demolition of Fort Tilden’s T-9
Queens, N.Y. – The National Park Service (NPS) will begin demolishing Fort Tilden’s building T-9 in late July. The work is expected to take 10 weeks and includes abatement before the demolition starts. All equipment, materials and work performed will be within the existing fencing surrounding Building T-9. Visitor access to the rest of Fort Tilden will not be impacted.
2 photos from 2023 compared to 2 from 2024 to show the erosion that has occurred.
Jacob Riis Park Access Restrictions
Queens, N.Y. – Due to extremely hazardous conditions Gateway National Recreation Area has restricted access to sections of Jacob Riis Park.
Tent at Floyd Bennett Field campsite in Gateway's Jamaica Bay unit.
Photo by NPS Photo
Visitors enjoying the sun and sand at Jacob Riis Park
Photo by NPS Photo
The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
Photo by NPS Photo
The Sandy Hook lighthouse and keepers quarters
Photo by NPS Photo
Battery Weed is the fort under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in Staten Island.
Photo by NPS Photo