New Group Campsite Opens At Sandy Hook, With Covered Sleeping Area, Bathrooms, Drinking Water

MIDDLETOWN, NJ ? For the first time ever, there is now a group campsite ? with water-proof tents, drinking water access, bed frames and more ? the public can reserve for use at Sandy Hook.

It's called the Nike campsite (its official listing from the National Park Service) and the brand-new campsite is located behind the historic Nike Missile Radar site (Parking Lot L); it opened last Friday, June 13. The public can make camping reservations for the site here, under the name "Nike:" https://www.recreation.gov/cam...

The National Park Service appears to be doing a "soft opening" for the campground, as it is only able to be reserved for four weeks this summer, between June 13 and July 13.

The camp site is actually former U.S. Army barracks from the 1950s that have been restored: There are two tented barracks that do not have bedframes (for campers who want to sleep in sleeping bags), and a third restored barrack with metal bedframes, for those who want to sleep off the ground. Other amenities at the new campground include two new charcoal grills, parking, a fresh water station, lock boxes, port-a-potties and access to the campground store, which sells the only firewood permitted on Sandy Hook. For those who don't like to use port-a-potties, restroom facilities with flushable toilets and sinks are located just a short walk away.

The barracks can accommodate groups of up to 30 campers, and the campsite is perfect for Boy Scout/Girl Scout/Cub Scout/Brownie troops, church groups and more. You don't even have to pitch your own tent.

During the Cold War, when Sandy Hook was still a U.S. military site, this part of Sandy Hook was used by radar units to locate and track enemy warplanes in the sky. Soldiers stayed at these barracks and could shoot Nike air defense missiles into the sky from the launch site, located one mile to the south.

Both the NIKE radar and missile launch areas were constructed during 1954-1956. Each site included four, one-story metal barracks, to house Army soldiers on site 24/7 to be ready to man the radars and missiles at any time. The soldiers were known as "Ready Crews."

When a siren sounded, the off-duty soldiers would run from the barracks to the radar sections and join the on-duty soldiers.

These barracks were restored by the Sandy Hook Foundation, which made a $100,000 donation for the work to the National Park Service. The Sandy Hook Foundation is a local non-profit that is very involved in preserving and protecting Sandy Hook, part of Gateway National Recreation Area.