Fire Island Wilderness (Watch Hill to Smith Point)

Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness, Fire Island National Seashore (Long Island)

The Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness is about seven miles of undeveloped barrier island on Long Island’s south shore, between the Wilderness Visitor Center near Smith Point County Park and Watch Hill. The National Park Service calls it the only federally designated wilderness in New York State and the smallest wilderness the NPS manages.

The NY-NJ Trail Conference lists it among backpack-camping options in the New York metro region, for those “willing to brave poison ivy and ticks.” Camping is by permit, in two zones in the dunes.

The hike

The NPS says the act creating the wilderness was signed on December 23, 1980, after cottage communities at Long Cove, Skunk Hollow, and Whalehouse Point were cleared. Two access points bracket it: Watch Hill on the west, reached by passenger ferry in season, and the Wilderness Visitor Center on the east, reachable by car year-round but with no parking.

A Cold Splinters writer described a car-free version: the Long Island Rail Road to Patchogue, a two-minute walk to the Watch Hill ferry, a permit at Watch Hill, about 3.5 miles along the beach before turning in behind the dunes to camp, and 3.5 more miles the next day to the east end, where a ranger at the Wilderness Visitor Center called a cab to the Mastic-Shirley station.

Walking is the whole challenge. The NPS warns that the route is soft sand and that dune crossings between the wilderness and the beach are limited. Inside the dunes, the Burma Trail follows part of the old Burma Road, an off-road route used before the 1980 designation, which the NPS says has mostly disappeared under sand or vegetation. Along the way are concrete pads from Life Saving and Coast Guard stations and the hull of the Bessie A. White, a coal schooner wrecked in 1922 near Long Cove.

Camping is split into two zones on either side of Bellport Beach, a private strip that National Park Planner says divides them. From Watch Hill, the NPS puts the western zone 1 to 3 miles away and the eastern zone 4 to 5 miles. From the Wilderness Visitor Center, it’s about 2.25 miles to the eastern zone and 3.5 miles or more to the western.

Season shapes the trip. From March 15 to Labor Day, you can camp on the beach in front of either zone unless it’s closed for nesting shorebirds, but summer brings ticks, mosquitoes, and poison ivy; the NPS recommends late fall through early spring. After Labor Day, camps move behind the primary dune. National Park Planner notes waterfowl hunting in the wilderness from November through December 31.

For another sandy coastal overnight with a permit, see Sandy Neck on Cape Cod.

Tips

Reserve ahead. Permits are on Recreation.gov only; the park takes no walk-ins.
Carry all your water, especially after Watch Hill’s water is shut off in late October.
Check in at a visitor center, the Dune Station self check-in at Watch Hill, or by email, as Recreation.gov describes.
Take tick and mosquito precautions in warm weather, as the NPS advises.
Plan the logistics: ferry to Watch Hill in season, and a drop-off or pickup at the Wilderness Visitor Center.

Camping

A Recreation.gov permit is required, and at least one camper must be 21 or older with photo ID. Stays are limited to three nights. The eastern zone allows up to 12 campers a night (4 per site) and the western zone up to 24 (8 per site). Sites aren’t assigned: camp on sand, not vegetation, at least 300 feet from other campers, not on the primary dune or within 20 feet of its toe, not within 1,000 feet of Bellport Beach, and not within 200 feet of nesting areas or symbolic fencing. Open fires are banned; cook on a stove. Dogs are banned March 15 to Labor Day and must be leashed otherwise. Pack out everything.

Inside Intel: The Cold Splinters writer pitched behind the dunes after about 3.5 miles from Watch Hill, splitting the walk into two days, and reminds campers to “leave your flint at home” because fires aren’t allowed. No other camper accounts recommending a specific spot were found; sites aren’t assigned.

Trail facts

Distance: About 7 miles, Watch Hill to the Wilderness Visitor Center (NPS)
Route type: Point to point
Difficulty: Moderate; soft sand
Campsites: Dispersed sites in eastern zone (12 campers) and western zone (24 campers)
Water: None in the wilderness; Watch Hill seasonally
Permits: Required, Recreation.gov; three-night limit
Fires: Prohibited; stoves only
Dogs: Not allowed March 15 to Labor Day; leashed otherwise
Trailheads: Watch Hill (ferry from Patchogue, in season); Wilderness Visitor Center near Smith Point County Park (drop-off only)
Last verified: October 11, 2026

The Lowdown

Sand camps behind the Fire Island dunes:

Otis Pike campers pitch on sand behind the dunes, not on vegetation, so where you lie down matters. These side-sleeper tips cover pads, pillows, and picking your ground.

See the tips →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.