Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area


Here you’ll find the nation’s oldest lighthouse; excellent birding in a holly forest; outstanding views of Manhattan’s skyline on clear days; beautiful white dunes; and even a nude beach alongside a gay beach (area G).

Best of all, you can get here via a ferry from Lower Manhattan in a cool and salty 45 minutes. Bring your bike along for the ride, and you can enjoy the paved bike paths through the dunes and pedal on to the nearby towns of Atlantic Highlands and Highlands.


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