Fire Island National Seashore

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Fire Island National Seashore
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)

Location:	Fire Island, New York, USA
Nearest city:	Islip, New York
Coordinates:	40°41′47″N, 72°58′58″W
Area:	19,579 acres (79.23 km²)
Established:	September 11, 1964
Total Visitation:	670,456 (in 2005)
Governing body:	National Park Service

Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) is a United States National Seashore that protects a 26 mile (41.6 km) section of Fire Island, an approximately 30 mile (48 km) long barrier island separated from Long Island by the Great South Bay.

There are 17 private communities within the boundaries of Fire Island National Seashore including Saltaire, Fire Island Pines, and Ocean Beach. Only two bridges lead to Fire Island and the national seashore and there are no public roads within the seashore itself. The Robert Moses Causeway leads to Robert Moses State Park on the western end of Fire Island while the William Floyd Parkway leads to the eastern end of the island.

Fire Island National Seashore was established as a unit of the National Park Service on September 11, 1964.

[edit] Attractions

The Fire Island Lighthouse is located near the western end of the seashore near Robert Moses State Park.
Sailor's Haven is home to a popular 1.5 mile (2.4 km) boardwalk trail through an area known as the Sunken Forest as well as a visitor center, general store, and a public marina.
Fire Island Wilderness. The Fire Island Wilderness area, located on the eastern end of Fire Island, is the only federally designated U.S. Wilderness Area in New York State. The seashore can also be accessed by private boat or by ferry from the communities of Patchogue, Sayville, or Bay Shore on Long Island.