Gunnison Beach
Highlands, NJ
Set inside the old Fort Hancock grounds at Sandy Hook, with the New York City skyline visible right across the water on a clear day. It is the largest clothing optional beach on the East Coast, though plenty of locals just come for the wide sand and the view.
Wide sand and a clear view of the New York City skyline, but it's a well known, high traffic beach and an entrance fee applies to the lots.
How we score beachesA Gateway National Recreation Area entrance fee applies to the parking lots here in season.
Dogs are banned from the ocean-side beach from March 15 through September 15 to protect nesting shorebirds, and are only allowed on leash during the off-season.
Sandy Hook's water follows the same Jersey Shore pattern as the rest of the coast, comfortable from July through early September, and cold well outside it. Hurricane season runs into November, so a fall visit is worth checking the forecast for tropical systems working up the coast.
More Atlantic Coast beaches
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Surfside Beach
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Open Atlantic swell and a wide sandy shoreline about three miles from Nantucket town, popular with locals for its bodysurfing waves and quieter, less commercial feel.
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