Closest Beaches

Beaches Near Jersey City, NJ

Jersey City is the closest major NJ city to Sandy Hook, about 47 miles and an hour by car down the Garden State Parkway. Seasonal Seastreak ferry service from Manhattan and Highlands also lands at Sandy Hook, dodging Parkway traffic. Long Branch and Asbury Park sit a bit further south on the same corridor if you want a boardwalk rather than a federal-park dune.

Plan This Week

This Afternoon looks like the best day across this list.

Strongest single forecast: Spring Lake on This Afternoon (87).

Within 60 mi

Coney Island Beach & Boardwalk

12 mi · ~17 min drive · Kings County, NY

Ideal for a beach walk.

73°F water 82°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (85)

Manhattan Beach Park

13 mi · ~18 min drive · Kings County, NY

Ideal for a beach walk.

73°F water 78°F air 12 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (83)

Brighton Beach

13 mi · ~18 min drive · Kings County, NY

Ideal for a beach walk.

73°F water 78°F air 12 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (83)

Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk

18 mi · ~25 min drive · Queens County, NY

Ideal for a beach walk.

73°F water 79°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (85)

Orchard Beach and Promenade

18 mi · ~26 min drive · Bronx County, NY

Ideal for a beach walk.

70°F water 79°F air 3 to 9 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (84)

Sandy Hook (Gateway NRA)

20 mi · ~29 min drive · Monmouth County, NJ

Ideal for a beach walk.

75°F water 78°F air 5 to 10 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (85)

Long Beach (NY)

24 mi · ~34 min drive · Nassau County, NY

Ideal for a beach walk.

75°F water 79°F air 9 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (86)

Playland Beach

27 mi · ~38 min drive · Westchester County, NY

Ideal for a beach walk.

70°F water 81°F air 3 to 7 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (85)

Jones Beach State Park

32 mi · ~45 min drive · Nassau County, NY

Ideal for a beach walk.

75°F water 76°F air 9 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (85)

Asbury Park

34 mi · ~50 min drive · Monmouth County, NJ

Ideal for swimming.

75°F water 84°F air 5 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (86)

Belmar

38 mi · ~55 min drive · Monmouth County, NJ

Ideal for swimming.

75°F water 76°F air 5 to 10 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (85)

Spring Lake

40 mi · ~58 min drive · Monmouth County, NJ

Ideal for swimming.

75°F water 81°F air 5 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (87)

Manasquan

43 mi · ~1 hr 2 min drive · Monmouth County, NJ

Ideal for swimming.

75°F water 86°F air 5 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (86)

Robert Moses State Park

43 mi · ~1 hr 2 min drive · Suffolk County, NY

Ideal for swimming.

75°F water 78°F air 9 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (86)

Calf Pasture Beach

43 mi · ~1 hr 3 min drive · Fairfield County, CT

Ideal for a beach walk.

78°F air 6 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (86)

Sunken Meadow State Park

44 mi · ~1 hr 3 min drive · Suffolk County, NY

Ideal for a beach walk.

70°F water 84°F air 5 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (84)

Point Pleasant Beach

44 mi · ~1 hr 4 min drive · Ocean County, NJ

Ideal for swimming.

75°F water 81°F air 5 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (87)

Compo Beach

46 mi · ~1 hr 6 min drive · Fairfield County, CT

Ideal for a beach walk.

83°F air 5 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (86)

Sherwood Island State Park

47 mi · ~1 hr 8 min drive · Fairfield County, CT

Ideal for a beach walk.

82°F air 5 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (86)

Seaside Heights

54 mi · ~1 hr 18 min drive · Ocean County, NJ

Ideal for swimming.

75°F water 79°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (86)

Seaside Park

56 mi · ~1 hr 20 min drive · Ocean County, NJ

Ideal for swimming.

75°F water 79°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (86)

Fire Island National Seashore — Watch Hill

57 mi · ~1 hr 22 min drive · Suffolk County, NY

Ideal for swimming.

75°F water 78°F air 9 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (86)

Island Beach State Park

62 mi · ~1 hr 29 min drive · Ocean County, NJ

Ideal for swimming.

75°F water 80°F air 10 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (86)

Smith Point County Park

63 mi · ~1 hr 31 min drive · Suffolk County, NY

Ideal for swimming.

75°F water 77°F air 8 mph wind Best this week: This Afternoon (86)

Barnegat Lighthouse State Park

68 mi · ~1 hr 38 min drive · Ocean County, NJ

Ideal for a beach walk.

75°F water 80°F air 10 to 15 mph wind Best this week: Monday (86)

Distance is straight-line, drive times are estimates

Mileage shown is straight-line distance from the center of Jersey City. Real drive times depend on highway routing, weekend traffic, and where in the metro you start. For summer Saturdays, plan 20–40 minutes longer than the estimates here. The range slider above filters by the same straight-line distance.