New York Beaches

New York’s beaches span the Atlantic Ocean barrier islands of Long Island (from Coney Island and Rockaway Beach in New York City east through Jones Beach State Park, Long Beach, Fire Island National Seashore, the Hamptons, and Montauk), the calmer pebble and sand shores of Long Island Sound and Peconic Bay, and freshwater beaches along Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, the Finger Lakes, and the Adirondacks. Large state parks such as Jones Beach, Robert Moses State Park, Sunken Meadow, and Hither Hills offer massive parking fields ($8 to $10 daily vehicle fees in season or Empire Pass entry), bathhouses, mobility mats, and trained state park lifeguards, while East End town beaches in Southampton and East Hampton enforce strict non-resident parking permits costing $30 to $50 per day where day passes are sold. Swimming at NYC Parks and New York State Park beaches is strictly prohibited when lifeguards are off duty. Use the directory filters below to explore New York beaches across Long Island’s Atlantic South Shore, Long Island Sound, New York City, the Hudson Valley, the Finger Lakes, and the Great Lakes by swimming, surfing, fishing, kayaking, and camping. Visitors should verify seasonal Empire Pass and daily parking rates at New York State Parks, check strict non-resident town parking rules in the Hamptons and North Shore communities, and review NYC Health or NY State Department of Health beach water quality advisories.