The 250-year-old Sandy Hook Lighthouse. The Lighthouse Keepers Quarters next door, built in 1883, is currently serving as the Sandy Hook Visitor Center.
NPS Photo
Operating Hours
The park is open 6 am through 9 pm daily, except by permit.
There is a $20 charge per day for beach parking from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Fees are collected between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. All toll booths are cashless and accept credit, debit, and contactless payment only. Visitors arriving prior to 8 a.m. can park in a designated fee lot free until 8 a.m. Once the fee is effective at 8 a.m., visitors staying in the park would need to pay the required fee or park in a non-free area. Parking at Fort Hancock is always free.
All navigable marine waters within the park boundary are open 24 hours.
Pets and their owners may visit bayside beaches throughout the year. Pets are only allowed on oceanside beaches from September 15 - March 15. Pets are not permitted on oceanside beaches during the spring and summer because that is when the threatened piping plover builds nests in those locations.
Pets must always be on a leash no longer than 6 feet.
Driving Directions
GPS address: 128 South Hartshorne Drive, Highlands, NJ 07732. At the entrance to the park you may find speed bumps. Please drive at 10 mph for our employees who work in the entrance booths.
From North Jersey and New York: - South on the New Jersey Turnpike - Exit 11 onto the Garden State Parkway (South) - Exit 117 (Keyport/Hazlet) - After toll, bear left and follow Route 36 East - 12 miles to park entrance (after crossing the Highlands Bridge)-Stay right to enter the park.
From South Jersey: - North on Garden State Parkway - Exit 105 (Eatontown), bear left for Route 36 East - Continue on Route 36 East, pass Monmouth Mall and across Route 35 through Eatontown and Long Branch (Route 36 is called Joline Avenue here). - Continue on Route 36, which turns left and follows north along ocean. (Route 36 is called Ocean Blvd. here) - North for six miles through the towns of Long Branch, Monmouth Beach and Sea Bright to park.
From Philadelphia & Camden, New Jersey: - New Jersey Turnpike north to Exit 7A (Shore Points) onto I-195 - East on I-195, to Garden State Parkway north. - GSP north to Exit 105 (Eatontown). - Then follow "From South Jersey" directions above.
Public Transportation
Bus
The closest New Jersey Transit Bus stop to Sandy Hook is on the 834. However, that is still seven miles from the entrance. Call 973-275-5555 for more information.
Academy Lines bus service operates from New York City to Highlands, NJ. Call 732-291-1300 or 800-242-1339 for schedules. You can also visit their website.
Ferry
Seastreak offers visitors a high speed ferry to Sandy Hook from Manhattan between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day.
Train
New Jersey Transit's North Jersey Coast Line to Red Bank, then NJT Bus 834 to Highlands. The drop off is seven miles from the entrance to the park, there is no transportation directly to the entrance of the park.
