Gunnison Beach(Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook)

Gunnison Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, swimming, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, bodysurfing, boogie boarding, volleyball, fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, canoeing, and wildlife watching. 

Gunnison Beach is ideal for less-experienced swimmers because the water here offers gentle lapping waves.  If you are planning to swim, kayak, canoe, or surf here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  Please note that snorkeling, scuba diving, and fishing are prohibited here between 10 am to 6 pm from Labor Day to Memorial Day weekend. 

If you like hiking and biking, there are many hiking and biking trails near the beach that offer a fun way to explore Sandy Hook and Gateway National Recreation Area. In addition, there are also multiple historic sites near this beach including a Nike Missile Radar Site and a historic lighthouse. If you like taking pictures with amazing views, Gunnison Beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Atlantic Ocean and the New Jersey and New York shorelines, especially at sunset.

Gunnison Beach offers mobility mats for wheelchair-bound visitors. This beach also offers beach wheelchairs for visitors with disabilities – if you want to book a beach wheelchair, you can contact Gateway National Recreation Area’s visitor center by phone at (732) 872-5970.  In addition, the restrooms near the beach are also disabled-friendly. 

Getting to Gunnison Beach is easy and the directions to Gunnison Beach are quite simple to follow – from Navesink Avenue – which is a part of New Jersey Route 36 – you need to turn towards Ocean Avenue North and then towards Hartshorne Drive.  From Hartshorne Drive you need to turn towards Atlantic Drive.  Atlantic Drive will eventually lead you to the parking lot for Gunnison Beach, which is named “Parking Lot G” – the parking lot near this beach charges a seasonal $20 fee between Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day between 7 am to 5 pm.   You can easily walk to Gunnison Beach after parking at the parking lot here. 

As an alternate access option, you can also visit this beach through a ferry from New York City between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend.  This seasonal ferry service departs from New York City and then travels to Sandy Hook – once you get down at Sandy Hook’s ferry terminal, you can then easily walk to Gunnison Beach.  You can visit the website of the seasonal ferry service provider – Seastreak – for more information regarding the local ferry details.  

Some portions of this beach may be closed to visitors because they may be seasonally used as nesting sites by endangered piping plovers.  We recommend checking the Gunnison Beach NJ weather reports before visiting this beach because sometimes the weather here can get cold and windy.  We also recommend visiting this beach early during the weekends because the parking lots here can get filled up fast.

This beach received its name – Gunnison Beach – from a nearby military installation named Battery Gunnison.  In addition, this beach also hosts many fun activities including the annual International Skinny Dip Day celebrations and nude beach meet-and-greet sessions.  The Sandee Hook Lighthouse was built in 1764 and is the oldest working lighthouse in the United States.  It was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1864 and added to the National Register of Historic places in 1966. 

There are many attractions near Gunnison Beach.  The Twin Lights – also known as the Navesink Light Station – is a historic former lighthouse and museum that was built in 1862 and it offers interesting exhibits on science, technology, and local history.  This historic site also offers amazing views of the Jersey Shore region and New York City.  Hartshorne Woods Park is an 812-acre park that offers many amazing activities including picnicking, hiking, biking, wildlife watching, fishing, and horse riding.  This park also has a beach named Black Fish Cove and it also has World War Two-era military bunkers and a naval gun named 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 gun.  Henry Hudson Trail is a 24-miles-long hiking/biking trail that offers an amazing way to explore the beautiful Monmouth County landscape and it also offers a fun hiking, biking, and wildlife watching experience.  Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook is an overlook that offers amazing views of the Jersey Shore region, New York City, and Raritan Bay.  This overlook also has interpretive signs on local history, a memorial to local victims of 9/11, and a monument dedicated to the 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Huddy Park is a recreational park that was named after the American Revolutionary Joshua Huddy, who was hanged on this site by British Loyalists – this park offers many amenities including picnic areas, benches, a playground, and grassy recreational areas.  This park also hosts an annual festival named the Highlands Annual Clam Fest.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Gunnison Beach.  Mule Barn Tavern is located in a historic building and it offers a variety of excellent regional American dishes with modern culinary influences.  Anjelica’s Restaurant is an upscale restaurant that offers amazing Italian-inspired dishes including pastas, veal, saltimbocca, pollo alla milanese, and Italian-style seafood.  The Rum Runner offers a variety of amazing dishes for lunch and dinner including soups, salads, pastas, short ribs, and burgers.  Bahrs Landing Famous Seafood Restaurant & Marina is known for serving excellent seafood including lobster, scallops, clams, and monkfish and it also offers a variety of other dishes including steaks, sandwiches, chicken dishes, and pizza.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Franny’s Pizzeria & Restaurant offers amazing pizzas and it also offers amazing submarine sandwiches, wraps, salads, sandwiches, and soup.

If you are looking for a hotel near Gunnison Beach, there are many great nearby options within a 27-minute-drive.  The 4-Star Wave Resort & Spa  offers many amenities including multiple restaurants, a bar, seasonal firepits, an ATM, bike loaner facilities, a seasonal pool, a private beach area, a gym, a salon, a spa, and a kids’ playroom.  The 4-Star Ocean Place Resort and Spa is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including multiple restaurants and bars, multiple pools, a gift shop, a games area, a spa, and a fitness center.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Oyster Point Hotel that offers many amenities including a marina, a fitness center, a restaurant, and a lounge.  The 3-Star Molly Pitcher Inn is another moderately-priced hotel that offers many amenities including a pool, a restaurant, and a marina.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Beachwalk at Sea Bright offers many amenities including a seasonal pool, a sundeck, an indoor shower, a boat dock, and a restaurant.