Watch Hill is a campground and marina located on
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 ...
, a
barrier island
Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from ...
off the south shore of
New York's
Long Island. The park is located across the
Great South Bay
The Great South Bay is a lagoon situated between Long Island and Fire Island, in the State of New York. It is about long and has an average depth of 4 feet 3 inches and is 20 feet at its deepest. It is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by Fire ...
from
Patchogue and is contained within 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 ...
.
Watch Hill is located on the western edge of the
Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness
Otis may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Characters
* Otis (Superman), in the films ''Superman'' and ''Superman II'' and related DC Comics media
** Otis Graves, in the TV series ''Supergirl''
* Otis (''The Walking Dead''), in the Image Comic ...
, the only
federally designated wilderness area in the State of New York, containing a variety of barrier island ecosystems in relatively undisturbed condition.
Description
The park offers a variety of outdoor experiences, ranging from ocean swimming to back country hiking to bird watching. Watch Hill contains a marina, a small general store, snack bar, tiki bar, Whalehouse Point Restaurant and Bar, visitor center, nature trail, and seasonally lifeguarded beaches. In September 2019, the building containing the restaurant, snack bar, and tiki bar was destroyed by a fire. The general store and welcome center were unaffected. Campground facilities include running water, grills, showers and bathrooms. The campground contains 27 sand sites, including one that is universally accessible and a group campsite. Starting 2019, four glamping platform tents or preset campsites will become available for more comfortable camping.
Access
Watch Hill is not accessible by car and is open seasonally by ferry via The Watch Hill Ferry Terminal at 160 West Avenue in
Patchogue, or by private watercraft.
See also
*
Davis Park, New York
*
Cherry Grove, New York
Cherry Grove (often referred to locally as The Grove) is a hamlet in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is located on Fire Island, a barrier island separated from the southern side of Long Island by the Great Sou ...
References
External links
Watch Hill Marina and Camp Ground official site
{{coord, 40, 41, 25.5, N, 72, 59, 20, W, region:US_type:landmark, display=title
Fire Island, New York
Protected areas of Suffolk County, New York