Gunnison Beach - Highlands, New Jersey, USA

Gunnison beach is quite the character! Historically boasted as the "largest clothing optional beach on the east coast of the United States," it is located within the Sandy Hook area of New Jersey. In 2020, new signs were installed limiting the official clothing optional area to a much smaller region than what has typically been enjoyed, though many seem to ignore the signs and take their beach walks far beyond these limits. This seems to work in most cases, as the nearest beaches (also within Gateway National Park at Sandy Hook) are quite a distance away. Despite all of the above, the beach is INCREDIBLY wide (not sure if that's the right word?) from a shore-to-dune perspective. While from "left to right" we may be more limited in nude use, the depth of the beach is astounding. Given this fact, the walk from the parking lot area is also arduously long (and in-season they put down mats to make the walk much more enjoyable), but the overall clothing optional area enables beachgoers to setup further back from the water if all of the "good spots" are already taken.

While parking is ample (daily rates in-season are $15 per vehicle as of writing this, rumor has it they will be increasing to $20 in 2021), on beautiful summer days traffic will back up significantly and it may be difficult to get a good spot on the beach, let alone have a convenient place to park. While the beach is open year round, most amenities are seasonal and include the mats mentioned above, restrooms, showers, and food trucks (although they are all adjacent to the parking area and still a pretty far walk from the beach itself). It is worth noting that the parking fee does not apply in the off-season, or if you arrive very early or very late in the day. In pre-COVID times, dumpsters were available within the parking lot area, but no trash bins were available otherwise—please carry out anything you bring in. The beach is patrolled regularly by park rangers on a year-round basis, and has lifeguards stationed until 5pm during the summer season.

Speaking of 5pm... it seems Gunnison has gotten a bad reputation for what goes on after 5pm. While Rangers will still occasionally patrol, the beach is known to get a little bit rowdier after hours. Despite having a wonderful view of parts of the New York City skyline, Brooklyn, and the Verrazano-Narrows bridge, and being relatively close (as the crow flies) to these densely populated areas, the beach is still very remote and at least a few miles away from any regularly travelled roadways that aren't part of the national park area. As of 2019, alcohol is prohibited (rangers have been known to actually check your coolers) and they no longer allow tents or windscreens to be positioned in a fashion that completely obstructs the view of what is going on within your camp. This is not to detract from the beauty (and the fact that it's pretty much the only option in the northeast...) that Gunnison can provide during a typical summer weekend where it draws thousands of visitors, but a fair warning that you may not want to visit at odd hours, during questionable weather, or stay too late into the evening if you aren't interested in potentially seeing some borderline questionable behavior. To this end, while online communities of Gunnison regulars do exist, we personally believe the beach could benefit greatly from an ambassador program like what they have at Haulover and Blind Creek in Florida. While we wanted to provide a fair warning in this regard, please don't let this review alone prevent you from visiting the beach and trying it out for yourself!