Lighthouse Beach is a small section of the

Fire Island National Seashore Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) is a United States National Seashore that protects a section of Fire Island, an approximately long and wide barrier island separated from Long Island by the Great South Bay. The island is part of New York S ...

that is adjacent to Robert Moses State Park on New York's Long Island. It was notable for having sections that were officially designated as

clothing optional Nude recreation refers to recreational activities which some people engage in while nude. Historically, the ancient Olympics were nude events. There remain some societies in Africa, Oceania, and South America that continue to engage in everyday ...

prior to 2013. The beach is named for the nearby

Fire Island Lighthouse The Fire Island Lighthouse is a visible landmark on the Great South Bay, in southern Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York on the western end of Fire Island, New York, Fire Island, a barrier island off the southern c ...

and was formerly the largest recognized clothing optional beach in New York. On 5 February 2013, the Fire Island National Seashore announced its plan to begin enforcing New York State anti-nudity laws on all Fire Island beaches, including Lighthouse Beach, ending clothing optional usage. However, the decision does not change the official status granted for the practice of female

toplessness Toplessness refers to the state in which a woman's breasts, including her areolas and nipples, are exposed, especially in a public place or in a visual medium. The male equivalent is barechestedness, also commonly called shirtlessness. Expose ...

, which is still allowed. The beach is approximately long and can be defined as the ocean facing beach between Robert Moses State Park and the community of Kismet. Technically, it is in the Town of Islip. FI Lighthouse pan

Location

History

There are some reports of nudists using the beach as far back as World War II, getting to the island by rowboat. After the Robert Moses Causeway was extended to

Fire Island Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York. Occasionally, the name is used to refer collectively to not only the central island, but also Lo ...

in 1964, word slowly spread, resulting in the clothing optional usage expanding greatly in the 1970s. Originally, the entire stretch of beach was clothing optional, however there have been some complaints from users objecting to the nudity going back to the 1980s. These complaints were largely from parents who visited the lighthouse and were surprised by the nudity on the beach. In 1994, due to negotiations between Friends of Lighthouse Beach and the National Park Service, the center section was made non-clothing optional or

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

so that visitors from the lighthouse who did not want to see nudity could enjoy the beach. Since 5 February 2013, the entirety of Lighthouse Beach has no longer been clothing optional. Bathing suits are required at all times, and violators face a maximum penalty of a $5,000 fine and six months in prison. Note that in New York State, women are legally permitted to be topless and continue to do so at this beach. The beach is widely regarded as family friendly.

Access

Since there is no vehicular traffic permitted in the Seashore, visitors must come in from the Robert Moses State Park in the west or the community of Kismet in the east. There is currently no handicapped access to the beach. In the past, there were accessible ramps from the westernmost boardwalk, but these have been destroyed by winter storms and have not yet been replaced.

Services

There are very limited services at this beach. There are no lifeguards or concessions. There are no trash receptacles making it a Carry in, Carry out facility. As with the rest of the Seashore, law enforcement is provided by

National Park Service Ranger National Park Service rangers are among the uniformed employees charged with protecting and preserving areas set aside in the National Park System by the United States Congress and the President of the United States. While all employees of the ag ...

s with occasional visits from the Suffolk County Police. At least two volunteer organizations work to ensure users are aware of appropriate behavior.

References

External links

Fire Island National Seashore page from the National Park Service

{{coord, 40.629946, -73.217703, display=title, region:US-NY_dim:1000, name=Lighthouse Beach - nominal location Beaches of Suffolk County, New York Fire Island, New York Islip (town), New York Nude beaches Parks in Suffolk County, New York