Sandy Hook is a narrow peninsula that juts out toward the lower bay of the Hudson River, directly across the bay from Brooklyn. It is part of Gateway National Recreation Area. This peninsula is where you'll find Gunnison Beach, the most popular nude beach on the entire mid- to northern Atlantic coast. This huge expanse of beach is one of the very rare nude beaches in the country which, in addition to having an official clothing-optional designation, is also easily accessible and has full beach amenities. On clear days, you can see the Manhattan skyline in the distance.

Summer weekends draw crowds of many hundreds just to the nude zone—a mix of straight, gay (at the south end), singles, couples and some families with children. Swimming and volleyball are popular. Men comprise about 75% of the crowd. The majority of visitors go nude. If you visit on a summer weekend, you need to get there in the morning. The parking lot closest to the nude beach fills up quickly, sometimes by 9 a.m. Overflow lots are half a mile away, but even those can be full by 11 a.m. By early afternoon, the park may be full to capacity. If wall-to-wall naked bodies are too much for you, consider a weekday visit when crowds are more manageable, parking is more available and the atmosphere is more relaxed.

The nude area has lifeguards and a snack stand, and there are restrooms with showers at the beach entrance (outside the clothing-optional zone). The park now has a "carry in, carry out" policy, meaning you need to pack out any garbage you generate. Alcohol is allowed, but glass containers are not. An entrance fee is collected from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The fee is $10 weekends, or you can get an annual pass for $50.

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GPS: 40.4570, -73.9890

city, county, state, country  Highlands, Monmouth, New Jersey, U.S.A.

classification  1 (freely nude)

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