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.
A Gateway National Recreation Area entrance fee applies to the parking lots here in season.
More Atlantic Coast beaches
Coast Guard Beach
Eastham, MA · Atlantic Coast
A National Seashore beach backed by grassy dunes and a tidal marsh, with clean Atlantic surf and one of the Cape's most scenic approaches on foot from the parking area.
Surfside Beach
Nantucket, MA · Atlantic Coast
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.
Jones Beach State Park
Wantagh, NY · Atlantic Coast
A classic Long Island beach with six and a half miles of shoreline, a landmark water tower, boardwalk, and a large outdoor amphitheater that hosts concerts through the summer.