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The comment period is open from July 29 to September 5! Please email us at Gateway_Fee_increase@nps.gov! For more information, check out our Parking Fee FAQs page.
NPS PHOTO Would Be First Parking Fee Increase in Several Years Gateway National Recreation Area is proposing to increase parking fees in the park. Proposed 2017 Parking Fees at Sandy Hook Proposed 2017 Parking Fees at Riis Beach This would be Gateway's first parking fee increase in several years. Fees last increased at Sandy Hook and Jacob Riis Park in 2012. Visitors with Senior or Access Passes would be charged half price for parking fees, as they are now. Parking fees charged at Sandy Hook and Jamaica Bay Units are authorized through the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004 (FLREA), which allows 80% of the revenue collected at Gateway to remain in the park. 
NPS PHOTO Why is Gateway doing this, and why now? Proposing a fee increase is not a step the park takes lightly, especially during these economically trying times. Many families cannot afford to take vacations in distant locations. They depend more than ever on nearby parks a as places where they can get away. This fee increase will help Gateway maintain the services that visitors expect and deserve: clean restroom and shower facilities and keeping visitors safe and resources protected. We are also able to use this money to do things like renovate the Ryan Visitor Center at Floyd Bennett Field and to add a web-cam to the Sandy Hook Lighthouse. Visiting non-beach areas will remain free. These include: the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island, Fort Hancock at Sandy Hook and Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens. These will all remain free. Even with the proposed increases, a visit to Gateway's beaches will remain within the means of everyday Americans. Our proposed parking fees are comparable to fees charged by other beaches in the area. Where many beaches charge an entrance fee per person, Gateway charges a parking fee per vehicle. The more people in the vehicle, the more you save. Biking or walking into these beach areas will remain free. Take a look at our Parking Fee FAQs page and judge for yourself. 
NPS PHOTO What can I do? We invite you to e-mail us to submit written suggestions, comments and concerns online or write us at the following address: Office of the Superintendent
Gateway will accept comments from Friday, July 29, 2016 through Monday, September 5, 2016. We will consider all opinions before making a final decision. Comparing Current and Proposed Fees Sandy Hook Unit Current Fees Proposed Fees for Summer 2017 Jamaica Bay Unit Current Fees Proposed Fees for Summer 2017 |
Last updated: July 28, 2016