Sandy Hook Bike Path
The Sandy Hook Bike Path
Description:
The Sandy Hook bike path opened in 2004. It runs the length of the Sandy Hook penninsula, giving views of both the bay and beaches and across the bay to Manhattan and Long Island. There are unique flora and fauna, a picturesque lighthouse, respites from the sun and heat through small woodsy segments, and interesting old military installations.
Length:
The path is approximately 6 miles one way.
Surface and safety:
The surface is asphalt, smooth and new in 2004, and quite wide -- perhaps 8 feet. Biking is completely safe within the park, but the entrance and exit can be extremely dangerous. (More on this below.)
The new bike path has made Sandy Hook biking much more pleasant and safe. In previous years bikes had to share the road with cars, and on summer weekends the drivers could be very discourteous, even by New Jersey standards, as they fought over the fast-dwindling parking spaces. I've had cars full of beer-guzzling teenagers honk their horns and yell to try to startle me as they passed. Twice I had bottles thrown at me, and one time the bottle jammed in the front spokes, almost spilling me into dense traffic. Really funny. The bike path has ended that source of mayhem.
If you can time a summer ride to arrive at the park entrance at about 11:30am on a weekend, the park will often be closing to cars and you'll have the roads to yourself.
Points of interest:
The beaches and military remnants are noteworthy. There are historical markers and tours of the missile sites. At the midpoint there is a refreshment area with an upstairs outdoor restaurant, the Sea Gull's Nest. In summer evenings "God Bless America" is sung as the sun sets over the bay below. The officer's houses lining the northern tip are a pretty sight. (A controversial program is scheduled to privatize this area.) Particularly from the northern beaches there are spectacular views of Manhattan, the Verranzano Narrows Bridge, Coney Island, Brooklyn, and Long Island. These views are usually clear on weekends and holidays, but seldom in the misty pollution of weekdays.
The one question I am most often asked from passing cars is, "Where is the nude beach?" In fact, this is the only question I am ever asked. In case you want to go there, or alternatively to avoid it, the nude beach is Gunnison Beach, or Area G. Actually it is a "clothing optional" beach, but this is not an option that many people choose. On a summer weekend there are usually about six thousand nude bathers at this beach. It is said to be the most popular nude beach in the world, but few people seem to know about it (a contradiction, I know!). The majority of all the money that the park makes from admissions is for people going to the nude beach. At the north end of this beach is a small section for clothed bathers, but no one is ever there. At the south end the gays congregate.
The bike path does not run directly past Gunnison Beach, as it veers westward about a mile before this beach. The most direct way there is to make a right turn at the point where the bike path crosses the highway about 4 miles from the entrance of the park. Gunnison Beach is about a mile down this road.
What's not to like:
The path is too short and flat for much exercise. Some serious bikers avoid the path because on summer weekends there are too many pedestrians, slow bikers, and roller bladers in the way. Beachgoers cross the path at several places, and habitually pay no attention whatsoever to oncoming bikes. The rangers tell me that there have been a number of collisions. Though the path itself is flat, the wind is strong and can make biking unpleasant sometimes. The wind is sometimes from the north in the morning, but nearly always turns around in the afternoon and can become a gale in your face as you exit to the south. With luck you can have the wind in your face both coming and going. One of the nice things about the bike path is that on the northern portion of the route the wind is shielded. However, in the last 2.5 miles, from the Sea Gull's Nest area to the entrance, bikers are completely exposed to the wind. I tell myself that it's good exercise, but it isn't fun there.
Parking:
After Labor Day and before the Memorial Day weekend, parking is plentiful and simple. There is a parking lot immediately on your right at the entrance where the bike path begins.
During the summer season parking is entirely a different matter. First, there is a ten dollar entrance fee, even if you are planning on parking right there at the entrance. Moreover, you will be lucky to park anywhere. On a good summer weekend the park is closed when all parking spaces are filled. This usually happens around 11:30am to noon. Cars full of people driving from New York City are turned away, and chaos reigns in the vicinity as desperate drivers try to find anywhere to leave their cars. There is virtually no parking anywhere near the beach from the Sandy Hook entrance south for a distance of about five miles. Fortunately, with a bike you have some flexibility about parking. I've marked the closest available free street parking with the yellow arrow on the map. This is a little north and west of the Hook, down below the bridge that is immediately before the entrance. The hill is steep, and you may have to walk your bike, but you will at least save ten bucks and have a guaranteed parking space.
There is still another possibility for free parking. There is at least one parking area on Sandy Hook that is designated as "free". This is Area M, which is at the north end of the park adjoining a picnic area but not a beach. The theory is that if you tell the person at the toll booth that you are going to the free area, then you don't have to pay. You don't get a sticker to display, and would be subject to a fine if you park in any of the other areas. I've noticed that Area M often has open parking spaces even on summer weekends when the Hook is filled. However, I'm not sure I'd count on this.
Getting to Sandy Hook from New York City:
If you're driving from New York City, it takes roughly an hour, although summer weekend traffic can often be difficult. Take the New Jersey Turnpike south to Exit 11, Garden State Parkway. Then take the Parkway south to exit 117 and follow Route 36 south to the Sandy Hook entrance.
There is a ferry service from New York City to the Sandy Hook Bay, directly across from Sandy Hook Park. This is the so-called "fast ferry", which goes from the dock at East 34th street to the Highlands stop at Conner's Ferry Landing. From this point it's only about a mile on back streets (just follow the bay on Bay Street) to arrive at the entrance to the park. You can check out the schedule and directions at www.seastreak.com.
Photos and comments:
The Sandy Hook Penninsula viewed from Scenic Drive in Atlantic Highlands
Entrance to Sandy Hook Park -- Bay on the left and ocean on the right
A wide, smooth path leads towards the Sea Gull's Nest refreshment area
Away from the madding crowd
The path has pleasant zigs and zags
There are small, cool woodsy segments
Gunnison Beach -- Clothing optional and almost a half mile wide
The picturesque Sandy Hook Lighthouse
The old officers' houses line the bay at the north end
Facing south at the end of the bike path and the dangerous exit of the park
While the park officials have given a lot of care to the bike path within the park, they have apparently spent no time thinking about how bikers would exit the park. From the point of view of this picture you are at the end of the bike path. If you are biking out to the south, the legal route is to be in the third lane from the left of the four shown as you climb the hill. This picture was taken on an early weekday morning, but on summer weekends you would be facing a steady stream of combative drivers, tired from a day's hot sun and anxious to return home. While climbing the hill you would have to cut across this stream.
Changing lanes while pedalling uphill in fast traffic is the least of your problems. I've been biking for at least twenty-five years in many places, and the most dangerous times I've ever had are right here. The problem is that many drivers don't know which lane they are supposed to be in. As they speed up the hill, they try to read the sign about which lane goes where, and suddenly they wrench the car into the other lane -- just as the poor biker is trying to cut across traffic. This is really dangerous.
I'm never again trying to bike out "correctly" like I'm a car. Instead, I go out the "in" road on the left. Sometimes in heavy oncoming traffic this can be awkward and I have to walk my bike on the grass for a ways. I may look like a wimp, but I'll live to bike another day. You should too.