Sandy Hook Raises Daily Parking Fee To $20; Season Pass To $100

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The National Park Service announced Thursday that Gateway National Recreation Area - Sandy Hook will increase its beach parking fees for summer 2021.

Effective the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, May 29, the beach parking fee will be $20 per vehicle. Season passes will be $100.

This is an increase of five dollars for daily parking, and $25 for a season pass. Prior to this, it was $15 per vehicle and $75 for a season pass.

Patch reported in September 2020 that the National Park Service was considering the fee increase, but now it has been made official. Initial report: Sandy Hook Wants To Raise Parking Fees To $20 A Day (Sept. 2020) This is Gateway’s first parking fee increase since 2012.

Sandy Hook is one of the most popular parks in the state of New Jersey, if not the most popular. Visitors who arrive by foot, bicycle, or public transportation will still be allowed to enter the park for free. Ferries take many visitors to Sandy Hook's beaches from New York City.

The Sandy Hook Lighthouse and Fort Hancock will remain free.

Visitors with senior and access passes will continue to receive a 50% discount for parking. Active service members and veterans, as well as visitors with Every Kid Outdoors vouchers will receive free beach parking.

Sandy Hook is a federal park run by the National Park Service, similar to Yellowstone or Yosemite.

The additional revenue will fund infrastructure and maintenance needs at the park, and improve visitor experience, said the National Park Service in a statement Thursday. There is also a deer population explosion problem at Sandy Hook, which the NPS said it has to address, but it is unknown if the increase in parking fees will pay for that.

Read: Deer Feeding At Sandy Hook Has Gotten Out Of Control, Park Says (March 2021)

“We are committed to keeping the park affordable but also want to provide visitors with the best possible experience,” said Gateway Superintendent Jen Nersesian. “The money from the beach parking fees will help improve our visitor facilities and services.”

According to the National Park Service, 80 percent of the revenue collected in Sandy Hook fees remains in the park.

In the past five years, money has been used to rehabilitate the Sandy Hook Lighthouse and Fort Hancock Post Museum. Future projects include increasing visitor access to the historic Mortar Battery, improvements to the potable water system, replacing street lighting, and removing hazardous trees and replacing them with new plantings.

Visitors will be able to purchase season passes online this year at www.recreation.gov. Season passes will also be available for purchase at the entrance gate.

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