Sandy Hook from the top of Twin Lights Lighthouse, Highlands, New Jersey
Sandy Hook is a barrier peninsula, approximately 6 miles in length and 0.5 miles (varying between .10 and 1 miles) wide, in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay south of New York City. The word "Hook" comes from the Dutch "Hoek" meaning "spit of land".
Geologically, it is a large sand spit or barrier spit, the extension of a barrier peninsula along the coast of New Jersey separated from the mainland by the estuary of the Shrewsbury River. On its western side, the peninsula encloses Sandy Hook Bay, a triangular arm of Lower New York Bay. The community of Highlands overlooks the southern part of the hook.
Sandy Hook is owned by the federal government. Most of it is managed by the National Park Service as the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. The southern part of the spit consists of public beaches, fishing areas, and the SeaGull's Nest, a seafood restaurant operated by a concessionaire. The peninsula's ocean-facing beaches are considered among the finest in New Jersey and are an extremely popular destination for summertime recreation. Gunnison Beach is one of the largest clothing optional (by custom) beaches on the east coast.
Throughout history, it has formed a convenient anchorage for ships before proceeding into Upper New York Harbor. The now-defunct Fort Hancock is located at the north end of the peninsula. It is now open to the public. The Sandy Hook Proving Ground was a proving ground used by the United States Army for many years (post-Civil War to 1916) and was later the site of a Nike missile defense installation. The Sandy Hook Nike station is one of a very few stations that are still intact. Almost all of the fort's gun batteries are off limits to the public due to their hazardous condition. Guided tours give visitors a look at an actual Nike missile, the missile firing platforms, and a radar station (complete with 60's-era computers).
Sandy Hook Lighthouse is located within the fort grounds, as is the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST), a magnet high school, part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District. At the entrance to Fort Hancock is Guardian Park, a plaza dominated by a large replica of a Nike missile. Some of the buildings of Fort Hancock are off-limits because their structural integrity is dubious.
A controversial proposal was recently accepted to allow adaptive re-use of some of the buildings in Fort Hancock by private entities.
Beyond Fort Hancock is an outpost of the United States Coast Guard. This area is administered by the Department of Homeland Security and is off-limits to the general public.
The "hook" is open year-round, but there is a parking fee during the summer months.
Transportation
The only road that grants the public access to Sandy Hook is Route 36. Route 36 is accessible from the Garden State Parkway at Exits 105 in Tinton Falls and 117 in Hazlet Township (near Keyport). Exit 117 is the more direct route for travelers. Another possibility is to take the Garden State Parkway to Exit 109, in Middletown Township, for County Route 520, and take 520 through Red Bank to its eastern terminus at Route 36 in Sea Bright. Another alternative is to take the New Jersey Turnpike to Exit 8A (in Monroe Township) to Route 32 east, to County Route 612 east, which then becomes County Route 520 east. Take CR 520 to its end in Sea Bright.
Ferries from Manhattan, in New York, have been available in past years during the summer months.
See also
- Geography of New York Harbor
External links
- Virtual tour of Sandy Hook
- National Park Service guide to Visiting Sandy Hook
Categories: Barrier islands | Geography of New Jersey | Monmouth County, New Jersey | Peninsulas of the United States
