Fire Island National Seashore

Enjoy the sand and sea of Fire Island.

Explore the long expanse of shifting sand dunes on Fire Island.

A youngster examines the sealife at Fire Island National Seashore.

Formed centuries ago by currents carrying eroded glacial debris, Fire Island's landscape continues to be reshaped daily by wind and waves.

This thin New York island stretches 32 miles along Long Island's south shore. Its 19,579 acres support a state park, county park, the national seashore, many communities and a seven-mile federal wilderness area between Smith Point and Watch Hill.

The national seashore is divided into four units on Fire Island: Fire Island Lighthouse, Sailors Haven, Watch Hill and Fire Island Wilderness Visitor Center; and one unit on the mainland of Long Island, the William Floyd Estate, where visitors take guided tours of the historic house and enjoy walks on the grounds.

Vehicle access to the Fire Island units is available only through the adjacent Robert Moses State Park and Smith Point County Park. From the parking lots of these parks, visitors can walk to the Fire Island Lighthouse and wilderness visitor centers. From May to October, however, most visitors arrive on ferries operating between Long Island and Fire Island.

The seashore has fishing, clamming, swimming, walking and guided nature walks.

At Watch Hill, visitors experience the sounds and smells of salt marshes and view herons and egrets. At Sailors Haven, the Sunken Forest of 200 year-old holly trees, sassafras trees and other hardwoods provides a cool canopy.

There is no entrance fee, but fees are charged for parking and ferry rides.

The Wilderness Visitor Center phone is 631-281-3010 and the Sailors Haven Visitor Center's phone is 631-597-6183.