Gateway National Recreation Area (Gateway) is a National Park created in 1972 to preserve and protect an area possessing outstanding natural and recreational features. The 26,000-acre national park is rich in water-based recreational opportunities.
The daily tidal range is usually about six feet but the marina has all new floating docks. The harbor is easily accessible from the main channel as you approach. The beach is adjacent to the marina with miles of beautiful pristine sand and seagrasses. In the summer season, there is a snack bar in the beach pavilion plus additional heads and a nice playground for the children.
Gateway National Recreation Area, which covers about two-thirds of the harbor, offers marina patrons fishing, boating, sports, swimming, and ranger-led walks. Nature trails start right near the marina and go through ocean dunes, grasslands, marshes and a swamp oak forest to Crookes Point. In mid-September, it’s also a stopping place for Monarch butterflies on their way to Mexico. The New York City S78 bus stops nearby; it’s a 30-minute ride to the St. George Terminal, home to the Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan. Or take the New York City S79 bus to the 86th Street subway in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
