Skip to main content

National Recreation Area · New York

Gateway National Recreation Area

Gateway National Recreation Area is run by the National Park Service.

Checked against 2 official sources · How we check →

Sponsorship · Sponsor this page →

Gateway National Recreation Area in pictures

Illustrative photos, not current conditions
Marsh with walkway and trees in foreground
The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge includes over 12,600 acres of water, saltmarshes, freshwater and brackish water ponds, upland fields and woods, and open bay and islands. It is one of the largest bird habitats in the northeastern United States. Photo: NPS Photo · public domain · resized

What the National Park Service says

“Spanning 27,000 acres from Sandy Hook in New Jersey to Breezy Point in New York City, the park is both the gateway from the ocean into New York Harbor, and the gateway to the National Park Service for millions of visitors every year.”
Visit official site ↗

When to go

When to go, as the official page puts it
  • Season“between late May and mid June”

Before you go

Check before you go: Start at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center.

MoreThe Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center is the gateway to this 900-acre preserve, home to salt marshes, uplands, open bay and beach areas, and two man-made ponds, all supporting hundreds of species of plant and wildlife.

Gateway National Recreation Area on the map

With the places listed under Around Gateway National Recreation Area
Brooklyn Botanic GardenNew York CityCherry Valley RefugeDelaware Water GapGreat Swamp RefugeJamaica Bay Wildlife RefugeMorton RefugeTarget Rock RefugeWallkill River RefugeWeir FarmWertheim RefugeGateway National Recreation AreaEleanor Roosevelt National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic SiteJohn Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at TinicumValley Forge National Historical Park
  • Pin color, each place's season now or next:
  • Spring
  • Fall
  • Winter

Other places to visit

Places on this map (19)
Map: approximate positions; state lines US Census.

Around Gateway National Recreation Area

In season first, then nearest; straight-line miles

  • Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

    Wintering geese and ducks on West Pond in New York

    0 mi away

    Season: Sep–Mar

  • An old stone wall under yellow and orange trees, with a red-brown meadow and fallen leaves

    Weir Farm

    Fall color in Connecticut

    48 mi away

    Season: Mid-September to mid- to late October

  • The Delaware River winding through a valley of gold and orange fall forest, seen from a rocky ledge on the Appalachian Trail; bare trunks in the left foreground, a power plant small on the far bank

    Delaware Water Gap

    Fall color in Pennsylvania

    73 mi away

    Usual peak: Sometime in October

  • Cherry trees in flower on the Cherry Esplanade at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

    Brooklyn Botanic Garden

    Cherry blossoms in New York

    8 mi away

    Season: Mar–May

  • The Lake in Central Park ringed by orange, red and yellow trees, the midtown skyline and the San Remo towers reflected in still water under a blue sky

    New York City

    Fall color in New York

    14 mi away

    Statewide timing: By mid-October

  • Two yellow brick houses with gray roofs and a windswept tree between them, on a green lawn under a blue sky

    Sandy Hook

    Nesting piping plovers in New Jersey

    16 mi away

    Season: Spring and summer

Show all 16 →
  • A sailboat with a bright striped sail on blue water, a wooded shoreline and four tall striped smokestacks in the distance

    Target Rock Refuge

    Ospreys in New York

    30 mi away

    Season: March – September

  • A wooden boardwalk running between bare trees on a sunny early-spring day

    Great Swamp Refuge

    Wildlife through the year in New Jersey

    37 mi away

    Season: Spring

  • A small pale gray and white shorebird with an orange, black-tipped bill and orange legs walking on sand

    Fire Island

    Piping plovers and monarchs in New York

    38 mi away

    In stages: From March to September

  • Several paddleboarders and a canoe on a wide, calm river lined with marsh grass and trees

    Wertheim Refuge

    Waterfowl in New York

    51 mi away

    Best viewing: Late October through early April

  • Wallkill River Refuge

    Spring waterfowl in New Jersey

    56 mi away

    Season: Spring

  • Golden marsh grasses and autumn trees surround open water at Cherry Valley Refuge

    Cherry Valley Refuge

    Fall color in Pennsylvania

    73 mi away

    Usual peak: Late October

  • A pale shell-covered beach curving along calm blue water, with low shrubs and a wooded point beyond

    Morton Refuge

    Waterfowl in New York

    80 mi away

    Best viewing: Late October through early April

  • An arched white bridge over a creek and a small waterfall, with yellow and orange trees around it

    Vanderbilt Mansion

    Fall color in New York

    82 mi away

    Usual peak: Mid-October

  • Aerial view of marsh and forest in fall on the Connecticut coast

    McKinney Refuge

    Fall color in Connecticut

    84 mi away

    Usual peak: Mid- to late October

  • Sunset over the marsh seen from an observation tower

    Forsythe Refuge

    Warblers in New Jersey

    86 mi away

    Most numerous: Early May

Other places to visit: Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site 79 mi · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site 80 mi · John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum 91 mi · Valley Forge National Historical Park 91 mi

How we know

Every fact on this page, from these pages