Pretty nice beach. Ample parking. We went during the pandemic on a Saturday morning. They have 50% parking capacity during this time but only like 20 cars were there by 9am. 11am it was still pretty empty. Beach itself is clean and nice. Bathrooms are open during this time as well. We also went here earlier on July 4th 2019. Beach was nearly body to body but we still had a place to park in their giant parking lot. It normally costs money but is free during the pandemic times. I recommend arriving very early (8am ish) on regular non-pandemic weekend days. Update: its basically back to being VERY packed after 11am or so, just like it was previous summers.

This is an amazing long stretch of white sand beach. You'll see it while flying into JFK Airport. I was there last week, it was cold and windy but the beach is beautiful and I could only imagine how busy the place could be during summer. It was a nice drive from Brooklyn passing some of the most incredible structures of bridges. Catch the sunset while you're there.

This is a hidden gem near NYC. Off the beaten path of most summer beaches, while accessible by public transportation, the best way to get there is if you have a car. Not even close to as crowded as Coney Island or the Far Rockaways. There are leisurely walks through the dunes (where allowed) as well as nearby historic sites. FYI it's technically a nude beach but it's also not because it's considered a National Park, so don't be alarmed if you find some topless/nearly nude sunbathers.

Ahhhh.... A beautiful day at a beautiful beach. Quiet and clean and not crowded (at 5 PM on a summer weekday). It's true there is not convenient parking. But we parked on the main road just outside the entrance, and it was a nice walk across grassy grounds to the beach. There's a community garden and some interesting old buildings.

10/10 beach. Amazing nature, not crowded, relaxed atmosphere. I never expected my top beach experience would be in NYC on Labor Day Weekend - but it was! The only downside was pricey parking ($20 now during the season).

when it gets too hot in New York City, everyone should go to Ford Tilden. It is usually very full there, but still the best beach for swimming. Also for friends of abandoned places there is a lot to see. If you wander around a bit you will find a lot of relics from the Second World War.

Exelant place who love military bunkers and ruins? The whole area gives off this eerie 'life-after-people' vibe, where nature has reclaimed most of it, but you can still sense the history of a once-bustling military fort. It's a photographer's dream and perfect for those who enjoy exploring or spontaneous bike rides. There are paths that lead you right by some impressive old buildings, including two massive concrete bunkers.

Not super crowded beach Abandoned military bunkers Bike rentals Seagulls pondering about life What's not to like? Fort Tilden is perfect for a day trip from NYC if you are looking to get outside the city. Check it out!

Always beautiful any time of year with wildlife walks through the vegetation, old military installations to explore and vast open beach to take in the ocean views

Historyc beach the view is beautiful , this government preserve park . The beach has been busier over the past couple of years , because of more advertisement , it's very nice , clean , well-patrolled , and peaceful . There is always something happening . Whether it's some sort of a sports or bar and live music . There is are food trucks and restaurants that come out there to feed people , and I know that , the cocktails are pretty awesome as well . The beer is 35 flavored is available . Friendly staff and attentive . Parking is lots of places , always busy because live in - out . The security service is working .

Beautyfull place for a evening hike also camping and site seeing

uninhibited, woke and relaxed beach goers doing the same thing on the same day... making THAT beach at THAT time a new "happy place" to mentally go for the CRAZY situations all will be sure to have the following week.

I live by Fort Tilden, and it's a very interesting place. There is a lot of history behind it and many places you can visit. There are trails leading through thick vegetation where you can stumble upon old bunkers and missel silos. Theres even bunkers you can find from the beach. It's a good time to spend the day and check out. Many people don't know about this area, and it should be more explored by people so we don't lose its history from WW2.

Great place for hiking, biking, relaxing.

Small fort and not much to see outside the graffiti and the run down buildings; however, its close proximity to the beach is a huge plus and by the time you make it out to the bunker you're far enough down the beach that crowds are never a problem.

Wow just discovered this amazing place. Secluded and beautiful. Tons of seashells and nature. Beaches on state park are really nice and calm. No concessions, and there is only a restroom as you enter the park off the main road (nowhere near the beach). Great place to hear the waves and read a book.

The only downside is parking and getting there and back by public transit. The actual beach, dunes, athletic field, horses, pavilion, relecs, proximity to Jamaica Bay’s sculpture and beach for fishing, and and and all the other stuff is the tops! Or should I say topless? I love Fort Tilden. It’s my favorite beach to go to to be quiet and enjoy nature in a clean environment. I get nervous to swim for long there as I’m not familiar with how the currents are and there’s no life guard. That doesn’t stop me from bringing a book and sunbathing. Beautiful and funny birds abound. Between the aging buildings, partially leaves trees, and sparsely populated beach, it feels almost like a parallel universe or a waking dream.

perfect place to enjoy the sun

Great location!! Been visiting for years. Clean beach and family friendly. Some food nearby. Love it here!

At the quiet time of year, NOT between Memorial Day and Labor Day, you can have the place nearly to yourself. The Atlantic rolls in regardless of season and the beach is wide. We can one weekend prior to Memorial Day and it was nearly empty. Very pleasant to walk down the beach. Bring some sandwiches and watch the waves.

A beautiful beach on even cloudy days. Small boardwalk with amenities and a bike repair station by the west end.

A great place for a walk or relaxing on the sand. No lifeguards so swimming not yet permitted. Rest rooms are available.

Huge parking lot right across from the beach. Super easy access. Cost 10$ to park and in the off season it’s free! It’s so convenient and a huge huge space. We let the dog run off some energy here as well as people park and teach their children how to bike ride, roller blade or scoot. Also people seem to park here and walk across the street the opposite side of the beach and fish along the beach. Very cool.

This definitely became my most visited spot during 2020 summertime. By bycicle from anywhere in the city, you’ll have the chance to enjoy, either a quiet area where to enjoy a good reading, or a more fun spot at the end of the bay with hot guys all over around.

Our favorite beach! Safe place for LGBTQ+ folks. Been going here for years.. Seen a lot of changes. Very popular beach. Would appreciate some bathrooms closer to what is known as the queer section.. inclusive bathrooms for GNC and NB folks. It’s a bit of a far walk to the closest ones and they’re gendered.

Interesting old fort from WWII that is used mostly by graffiti artists now. Just in case the Germans invaded and took over the Rockaways.........

had a lovely day trip to fort tilden. the best bet is to park at the fisherman’s lot... take the off-road! you will not regret it

Ruins to explore. Bikes to ride. Beach to comb. Seclusion in the city. Paradise? U decide.

Beautiful beach with very few people. Depending on the tide the waves can be pretty rough for little children but it's always beautiful for a long walk along the water. There are basic toilets by the parking area which is handy.

Free parking after 5pm. Or off season

Nice place. Nice wall. Overall nice.

Been coming here for 20 years..sure is alot more cowded than it used to be but still my favorite

Fun and cleaner than most NY beaches!

Beautiful beach area near nyc. Lots of sea birds.

Very scenic and fun. Beach with no lifeguards, much less crowded if so you should go there if you're not planning on swimming.

Bike ride thru park n down to end of breezy point along bike paths

Great beach

Probably the most beautiful beach and national park in NYC. It's far away and secluded and has dunes and abandoned buildings and birds...

It's kind of an adventure to get there , but worthy, I recommend taking the ferry and then a car or a playa bike

Nice

Bikini optional, love it

Nice

no parking and the smell of sewage.

Only beach I care about

Beautiful area of beach, well worth the walk or ride from the subway. If you have a bike, there are some great paths through the west side of the fort. The southern path is gravel, while the northern path is paved.

Cool relaxing

A nice place to visit

I haven't been there yet but I would like to visit there one day. SID

Awesome for family.

Amazing, it can feel like a little adventure, just getting there, strongly recommend a Ferry +car /Uber or Bus, plus a walk. Is full of hidden spots and abandoned structures and wonderful Hills with views

Imagine a hidden gem, last stop on the bus, through over grown grass, between unused empty buildings. After walking on a narrow path, it opens up into a beautiful beach with an truly secluded feeling. Not because the beach is empty, but because the relaxing feeling omitted by its inhabitants is like none of the other sand traps in the city.

Great place for a bike ride or walk

Our family loves Roosevelt Island!

This beach is really clean , with a huge parking , people are friendly .

Great time. Amazing peace on the beach

Nice and quiet.

Nice beach!

Nice, beautiful and serene

The place has its loveliness as most people here point out. But what is missing -unless I am missing it- is that there are no bathroom facilities, you can get ticketed unless you have a fisherman's permit, most of the area is a bird sanctuary, the beaches are not clean and in general it appears more like an abandoned placed than a national park. The old battery embankments look creepy. If you can ignore this, then it is a great place.

It's not bad but a bit hard to get there.

Relax excellent

Great beaches, not as crowded and dirty as nearby beaches like Coney and Brighton

Love this place its like being on vacation only 10 minutes from home.

full of peace love and tranquility

Best place in queens

Love this beach! There’s the family-friendly section closer to the concession spots and restrooms and then the more queer section further out by the abandoned wear house. Parking is $10, which isn’t too bad. Given that we went while there’s a pandemic, everyone was very responsible and wearing masks on the boardwalk and socially distanced outside of their pods on the beach. Trash receptacles were still overloaded by the end of the day, but generally a good experience.

Beautiful spot for a bike ride or a walk. Lots of activities like pitch and putt, baseballdiamonds, basketball courts, and playgrounds. The beach is also a great spot to hang out.

They have put a lot of work into updating this park and it shows. There’s a modern skate park filled with kids learning the ropes, multiple seaside eateries (the arepas folks!) & a lot of great places to sit! Come on a more cloudy day and it’s not quite as crowded (especially into early September). The area is significantly cheaper than the rest of NYC so definitely stock up on groceries here rather than elsewhere in the city. We also met a cool local musician who preferred not to be named (of MF Doom fame). He hangs around a good bit so you might get lucky too!

Generally much less crowded than near the boardwalk. There are bathrooms there, and playgrounds for kids. There's parking if you drive, and a free shuttle from the ferry downtown. I love this beach!

Great place to relax. You wont find such isolated but refreshing places in NYC that easily. Was a bit worried about security though!

Great place to enjoy the outdoors.Plenty of parking. You can rent a wheelchair. Motorized. Very handicapped accessible

Not crowded

Large, well-maintained, and beach side

Peaceful, quiet, relaxing and clean

Love it ✨💖

A little piece of heaven when you just want to clear your mind.

Love this place ❤, clean , beautiful 😍

Good place to relax in the sun. Huge parking lot!

It was very nice.. clean.. relaxing.❤😎😊

Clean, quiet, and practically empty. Vendors were not open during Covid. Parking space was a little tough to navigate without staff help. No lifeguards on duty. Would go back again.

Gorgeous

(Translated by Google) Pizdato (Original) Пиздато

Sand and an ocean and Sun. . Just go.

Nice beach and nice people, plenty of room.

Very nice

The best beach in the whole city.

I spent a day at the park on Labor Day 2020. It is a large park managed by the National Park Services. It is modestly maintained and has the appearance of decline. The last time I visited this park was a few years ago. The parking was adequate, with a reasonable fee of $10. The beach was very crowded, with many people not observing social distancing. I also watched several people going inside the men's room, not wearing masks. The park has a large picnic area, but it is, in my opinion, a little far from the beach and does not have sufficient picnic tables or covered zones to protect from rain or harsh sun lights. There were no garbage containers on the beach. A few garbage receptacles were on the boardwalk, but most of them were overfilled. The beach water was filthy. It has lots of debris and seaweeds floating everywhere. There are some playgrounds but were not sure if they were open to the public at the time of my visit. Thee were several vendors on the beach selling "Icee" ice cream and others offering liquors. None of the vendors displayed a vendor license and there were no apparent enforcement effort to check them out. If you are looking for a better experience at the beach, I recommend Jones Beach or Coney Island.

The beach was filled with biting flies by 5:30 and we had to run.

The kids had so much fun. A beautiful day at the beach

I found that it was a lot more beautiful during the 70's and now a bit abandoned or neglected, but realistically speaking I do see an attempt to revitalize the grounds. I do hope that it will be achieved because it is one of the beaches in NY that has clear and clean water, and that I consider amazing.

Great Park and lovely spacious beach!!! Plenty of parking and access to restrooms.

Parking and social distancing. What more can I ask for? Be prepared for a 30 minute wait to get in during the busy season on the weekends and holidays.

Ample parking space with parking fee of $10 for a day. Parking is 5 mins walk from the beach. There's restroom nearby and a long beach. Perfect for day out with family. Lots of people in the weekend but social distancing is observed.

Too many people sometimes

Underrated. Beautiful beach.

Good beach, there are not many children and less people. Relax and clean

Beautiful beach

This is our go to place for beaching in nyc: its $10 dollars for regular cars to park (all day), or is you have the national park - access pass- you pay half: they have jungle gyms for kids, restaurants, restrooms, outdoors showers, boardwalk, lifeguards, and huge parking space: i know that public transportation gets people there via buses.

Clean beach

Love this beach !!

Favorite beach in NYC so fun & always good vibes

Nice Dali like Panoramic view. Great open ocean with Large Waves an Fresh Breeze. Great place to Meditate and connect with Nature

It is a nice beach for NYC - clean with usually fun people - but a schlep to get to from Manhattan, either by A train to shuttle to Q22 bus or by ferry from Wall Street and free shuttle bus - plan on 2 hours of travel before you get to lay on the beach. Go early and plan to spend the day to make it worth your while. Plan on 2 hours plus to get home, unless you have a car! I like that there are usually no children and that there are protected dunes for the birds behind the beach.

Great spot Ever evolving NYC .. U kno it!

Love coming to this place every once in a while. Great views of the city from the top, and just an overall really cool vibe. Do come with a group, and during the day, however, as the area can be pretty sketchy at night.

My group applied for a permit to use the park. We were able to grill and we had a fantastic day in the park. It's perfect for a family or group summer cookout. There is bathroom facilities there so that was a plus. Great location 👍