Watch Hill

 

Escape to Watch Hill

Discover Fire Island's most extensive salt marsh, the beauty of the barrier island's beaches and dunes, and the solitude of a seaside wilderness at this National Park Service site.

Watch Hill is located on the western edge of the Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness, directly across the Great South Bay from Patchogue, Long Island. It is accessible by Watch Hill Ferry, private boat, and foot only.

From May to mid-October, the Watch Hill area offers a visitor center, family campground, ranger-led interpretive programs (including guided kayak trips), a 175-slip transient marina with water, electric, and pump-out station; a small convenience store, food truck with outdoor seating, self-guided nature trail, picnic area, lifeguarded beach (summer only), restrooms, and bathhouse. Water for drinking and restrooms is turned off on the last Thursday in October.

Sail to Watch Hill

Watch Hill has a total of 183 slips. Eight slips are administrative and 175 slips with water, electric, and pump-out station are available to boaters.

The Watch Hill marina can accommodate boats with beams between 10 and 18 feet, and a five foot draft. The majority of slips are between 10 and14 feet wide. Many of the slips, 75%, have electric and water (extra fee charged).

Advanced booking and a small number of seasonal slips are available at Watch Hill through LoveFINS.com. Please visit LoveFINS.com or call the Watch Hill marina at 631-597-6074 for the most up-to-date information on rates and reservations.

 

Facilities at Watch Hill

For the most up-to-date information on rates and reservations, please visit LoveFINS.com.

Watch Hill Ferry

Phone: [phone]
Watch Hill Ferry Schedule

Watch Hill Visitor Center - Open Seasonally

Phone: [phone] (Open Seasonally)

Stop in at this National Park Service visitor center to learn more about Fire Island, upcoming ranger-led programs like guided kayak tours of the Watch Hill salt marsh, and to check in for wilderness/backcountry camping. Backcountry camping is available by reservation only.

 

 

Watch Hill Marina, Snack Bar, and General Store - Open Seasonally

Marina Phone: [phone] (Open Seasonally)
General/Camp Store Phone: [phone] (Open Seasonally)

Please check LoveFINS.com for rate and reservation information.

Watch Hill Family Campground - Open Seasonally

General/Camp Store Phone: [phone] (Open Seasonally)

Sleep under the stars behind the dunes at Watch Hill on Fire Island. Twenty-six sand sites available for either two two-man tents or one five-man tent.

Campsites at the Watch Hill Family Tent Campground are available for a fee. An online reservation system is available through LoveFINS.com.

Please check LoveFINS.com for rate and reservation information.

Wilderness/Backcountry Camping

Wilderness/Backcountry camping is available in the Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness on the eastern end of Fire Island and is accessible via Davis Park and Watch Hill. Access from Davis Park requires an additional one-mile hike. Learn more about Backcounty Camping.

Campers must have their permit on hand at all times while camping. Campers must check in at the self check-in station located at the Watch Hill Dune Station.

 

Share the Beach

From mid-March to Labor Day, there are restrictions on pets and the use of kites on ocean beaches to help protect threatened and endangered beach nesting birds. During this time, leashed pets are not allowed on ocean beaches at National Park Service sites on Fire Island. 

You may walk your pet on the trails at Watch Hill or on the bay beach, but please remember: pets must always be leashed and under control. Learn more about when and where you can bring leashed pets.