Gunnison Beach — Attraction in Middletown Township

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...

Friday, July 21, 2017 was our first and only time going to a beach that was "clothing optional" and tried to be prepared as best as we could before going, but even after reading numerous reviews and websites on Gunnison beach, it was inevitable that we would miss something. First of all, it was extremely hot outside, but we figured if we needed to cool down, the ocean would be sufficient. However, we had no idea that the ocean was so far from the parking area and just decided to rely on the water and ice in the cooler we brought. It ended up being much hotter than we anticipated and we were running out of cold water and I started feeling like I may be having a heat stroke.

The park ranger drove up to us and told us that we needed to move, but we explained to him that we already decided that we were not going to be staying, but needed a minute or two to compose ourselves for the LONG walk back to the car so we didnt nduce any type of heat stroke or problems.

Apparently two minutes was not good enough for this Ranger who could care less about our health and told us if we did not move now that he would have to issue us a fine or summons. I again explained to him that if I got up right now, I would most likely pass out...... so in order to try and move this along, I asked if he would allow me to sit in his car for a moment to try and cool down quickly and he said that he could not allow that. I have had this problem before so I know that if he allowed me to sit in his car for even one minute I would have been much better off and could have went on my way but he refused completely and continued to threaten us with a fine if we did not move now.

instead of attempting to offer assistance or be helpful in anyway, he decided to make more than a few ridiculous comments insinuating that I didn't look sick TO HIM and insinuated over and over that I was possibly just faking this, because according to him ( The now Park ranger turned doctor), I looked fine and was not acting sick so therefore I must have been just making it up. For what reason, I have no idea.

In reality, I was far from fine but he chose to turn a simple thing into something huge making a much bigger issue than it needed to be and as my body he continued to rise, and my blood pressure continued to drop, he took his sweet time to eventually call an EMT to come check me out. A little bit later, , a lifeguard and an EMT finally came and verified that I was not faking and he basically could have killed me with his unnecessary stalling and uneducated diagnosis of my condition.

There is much more to the story but it's not about that. We enjoyed going to this beach and everyone we met was extremely friendly and helpful except for the one man who should have been friendly and helpful, the park ranger. I really want to find his name and report him because if he does this to someone else it could end up much worse. He seems to be abusing his authority and will possibly end up killing someone.

So that was the major disappointment of the day. There were A few other things, but mainly annoyances than anything else. Like the long walk from the parking area to the beach, the huge flies that constantly surrounded and attacked us with painful bites everywhere and our slight lack of preparation. Once again though, it was our first time. Hopefully we can return sometime under better circumstances. Even with all the commotion and the extremely unprofessional behavior by the park ranger, we still enjoyed the place ( and the freedom it provides) and would like...

This place is awesome and I wish it was closer to home; still, I try to get here two or three times a summer. Get here early, especially if it’s a weekend with nice weather. The entrance opens at 5 and the parking fee ($15 or season pass for $75) isn’t charged before 7 - they just wave you in or give you a free permit. Getting here early also gives you a chance to snag a prime spot and enjoy some peace and quiet. They will close the Gunnison parking lot (Lot G), or the entire park (there are several other beaches and attractions), if it gets too crowded.

It’s a good walk to the beach but the blue mat now goes all the way past the dunes and on to the beach, making it much easier than it used to be. The plaza by the parking lot offers restrooms, outdoor rinse showers and vending machines ($1 for canned soda or $3 for bottled water). During peak season, umbrella rental and food trucks are available. It’s better to bring your own food - the only offerings in 2020 are hot dogs, Italian ice and açaí bowls.

A year or two ago the park banned alcohol. They also don’t allow any tents or windscreens with multiple sides. It seems a bit overboard to me. Enforcement in 2020 has been very strict as I’ve noticed rangers walking through the crowd multiple times each visit, something I’ve never seen before. Be careful - any citations are a federal case. Also, there’s no smoking - cigarette butts are not the type of butts that anyone wants to see here. There all also no trash cans and the dumpsters that used to be in parking lot aren’t there anymore. Take your trash with you and don’t leave it in the restroom. It’s not that hard and it will help ensure that Gunnison stays open. A few bad apples can spoil it for everyone (like the recent alcohol ban) and the results could be awful. I’m sure there’s a small minority of people that would love to see no more nudity being permitted so let’s not give them fuel for their fire.

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