Ocean Gate Beach
Ocean Gate, NJ
Ocean Gate is a small borough on the mainland side of Barnegat Bay, and its beach matches the town's low profile, a modest stretch of sand without a boardwalk or a business strip nearby. It's the kind of beach residents use on an ordinary weeknight rather than one that draws day trippers from out of town.
A genuinely quiet, low key beach that residents like precisely for its lack of a scene, but there's not much here to draw anyone from outside town.
How we score beachesCome for a sunset rather than a full beach day. The bay side orientation here makes for a decent evening view without much competition for space.
Street parking serves the beach, informal and rarely an issue outside of a handful of summer weekends.
A flat, short walk from street parking leads to the sand, with no boardwalk or paved path.
Leashed dogs are allowed on the beach from October through mid April.
Bay water warms into the mid to upper 70s by August, calmer than the ocean beaches on the barrier island a short drive east.
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