Gateway National Recreation Area, NJ - Sandy Hook to Sea Bright to Sandy Hook Bike

ABOUT THE PARK:

Gateway National Recreation Area - National Park Service

DIRECTIONS:

GPS Coordinates 40.39694, -73.98367

Street parking along Highland Avenue.

TRAIL MAP: 

Sandy Hook Map - National Park Service

BIKE DISTANCE:  33 miles

THE BIKE: 

Parking on Highland Avenue right at the foot of the bridge to Sandy Hook lets you take the bike or pedestrian path over with great views.  Except this day.  There was thick fog and not much to be seen.

It's just a few steps from parking on Highland Avenue to the bridge.

You can either walk or bike across.

Nothing to see on this morning.

Heading left to Sandy Hook first. 

There was a lot of traffic coming in at 7 AM.  I thought that was kind of odd.  Little did I know there was an event taking place.  Just my luck - fog AND an event.

See all those water droplets on the grass around the laughing gull?  That is what was on my glasses constantly.  It was hard to see while biking.

A very wet and unhappy looking mockingbird.

All of the parking lots in the Fort Hancock area were packed.

Turns out it was a race which did not affect the bike path much but spectators were blocking the bike path everywhere.  I could not get through the crowds so had to backtrack to get out of there.

Nobody over at the lighthouse.

A wet turkey vulture.

Brants and laughing gulls in Sandy Hook Bay.

The deer are quite tame here.  They could care less about people being around.

An osprey at the nest.  It was too foggy still for a good shot but I would get better ones later on.

Still not much to see at the beach.

Continuing on past the bridge into Sea Bright.

This goes out about 1.7 miles before it becomes road biking but there was way too much traffic for that so I turned back at this point.

There are three public access places so I went up to take a look since the fog was lifting.

Still foggy over the water.

Going for another round at Sandy Hook since it was pretty dry now and my glasses were no longer being covered in water droplets.

Stopping for some better shots of the osprey.

One standing guard ...

... and one on the nest.

Both together.

Back at Fort Hancock everyone involved with the race had cleared out while I was in Sea Bright so I was able to complete the loop at this end.

It seems that every osprey nest has a plastic bag incorporated into the decor.  This one has one of those poop bags that inconsiderate people leave along the trail.  Disgusting.

Heading back over the bridge just as the sun was starting to break through.

Twin Lights 

Coming over this side of the bridge ...

... you have to loop around to the right and underneath to get back over to Highland Avenue.

Pin It