Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook

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Gunnison Beach is part of the Sandy Hook unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area, located in Monmounth County, New Jersey, United States, and is managed by the National Park Service. It is the only nude beach (by custom) in New Jersey and one of the major clothing-optional recreation areas in the New York metropolitan area.

The clothing optional beach attracts nearly 5,000 naturists per weekend in the summer months.

It was named for the Gunnison Battery, a fortification built by the US Government to protect New York Harbor in the 1800's. Remnants of the battery, including gun emplacements, overlook the beach. It was once part of Fort Hancock, a test site and proving ground for the US Army for many years and was later the site of a Nike missile defense installation.

Part of the beach is shared on a seasonal basis with a reserved breeding ground for the endangered Piping Plover, a native shore bird.