April 11, 2023 – Bay Shore, NY

Difficulty: Easy

Length: Approximately 2 miles

Max elevation: 12.5 ft.– total elevation gain approximately 7 ft.

Route type: Circuit

Free Web Map: Fire Island National Seashore Map

Trailhead parking: Field 5, Robert Moses State Park

Fees: Robert Moses State Park Field 5 charges a $10.00 per vehicle Day Use (in season) – Empire Pass Accepted

Please Note: The Fire Island Lighthouse Tower will be closed until further notice.

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Overview:

The Fire Island Lighthouse is located on the Great South Bay, in southern Suffolk County, NY on the western end of Fire Island, a barrier island off the southern coast of Long Island. The lighthouse is located within Fire Island National Seashore and just to the east of Robert Moses State Park. It is part of the Fire Island Light Station which contains the light, keepers quarters, the lens building containing the original first-order Fresnel lens, and a boat house.

Long Island boasts more than 20 lighthouses, all different styles and sizes but standing at 168 ft. The fire island lighthouse is the tallest!

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History:

The first lighthouse built on Fire Island was completed in 1826. It was a 74-foot high, cream-colored, octagonal pyramid made of Connecticut River blue split stone. The tower was built at the end of the island, adjacent to the inlet. This tower was not effective due to its lack of height. It was almost entirely removed and the stone reused to build the terrace for the present lighthouse. Today a circular ring of bricks and stone are all that remain of the original lighthouse.

In 1857 Congress appropriated $40,000 for the construction of a new tower, 168 feet tall. It was lit for the first time on November 1, 1858. This tower was made of red brick, painted a creamy yellow color. The tower was changed to the present day-mark of alternating black and white bands in August 1891.

The Fire Island Lighthouse was decommissioned as an aid to navigation on December 31, 1973. Between 1974 and 1980, private citizens grouped together in an effort to “save the Fire Island Lighthouse.”

By 1981, the empty and decaying tower was declared unsafe and not worth repairing, and was scheduled to be torn down when the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society was formed in 1982 to raise funds to save and restore the lighthouse.

The Lighthouse was restored to its 1939 condition, which is when electricity was first installed. On Memorial Day, May 25, 1986, the Fire Island Lighthouse was relit and reinstated as an official aid to navigation.

In 1984, the Fire Island Lighthouse was put on the National Register of Historic Places.

The lighthouse is operated by the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service.

In March of 2023, the National Park Service (NPS) issued a press release that the Fire Island Lighthouse Tower is temporarily closed due to recent damages. On the morning of March 4, 2023 an exterior panel on the northeast side of the Fire Island Lighthouse separated from the structure. Out of abundance of caution half of the terrace will be closed on the north side and boardwalks leading to the north side of the lighthouse will be closed until further notice and the lighthouse structure will remain temporarily closed until further notice, NPS said.

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Trails Overview:

The lighthouse can be accessed by a short walk from Robert Moses State Park – Field 5. A nature trail, consisting of raised boardwalks, guides visitors from Field 5 in Robert Moses State Park to the Fire Island Lighthouse in Fire Island National Seashore. There is a small area of sand where it crosses Burma Road.

The raised boardwalk to the lighthouse, offers a nice walk through the windswept dunes, offering multiple vantage points for photo opportunities of the lighthouse.

From the lighthouse, the return trip is a pleasant walk along the beach.

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Walk Overview:

Looking to get out to the beach before actual beach season starts, I decided to pay this spot a visit. Having been here years earlier, I was familiar with the area and wanted to revisit it.

There is no parking within Fire Island National Seashore, so you’ll have to use Robert Moses State Park’s Field 5, where there is a fee in season.

This is a fairly tame walk using boardwalks and a sandy beach to form a clockwise loop, with almost no elevation gain.

The hike can be extended by walking east or west if one chooses, but on this day we kept the walk short and relaxed a bit near the ocean.

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The Walk:

This short loop begins at the east end of the Field 5 parking lot. The boardwalk trail meanders its way through the dunes as it heads east towards the lighthouse.

As you walk the nature trail, you’ll get numerous views of the lighthouse.

There is a break in the boardwalk as it crosses Burma Road, the boardwalk resumes after crossing the sandy road.

In about 3/4 of a mile from the start, the trail reaches the Fire Island Lighthouse.

As you approach the lighthouse complex, the first building you come to, which looks like a barn, houses the original Fresnel Lens used in the second Fire Island Lighthouse, the one standing today.

All that remains of the first lighthouse is the circular foundation, which can still be viewed today beside the new Fresnel Lens Building. The current lighthouse is 200 feet northeast of this site.

The lighthouse tower is currently closed due to storm damage on March 4, 2023. The museum and gift shop are open.

The exterior brickwork of the tower was covered with a reinforced concrete coating in 1912. This coating is as much as three inches thick in some areas.

A view of the Great South Bay from the back of the Lens Building.

Towering over the keeper’s dwelling is the freestanding, 168-ft. black-and-white striped lighthouse. Originally, the lighthouse connected with the keeper’s dwelling, to its south, via a covered passageway. This passageway was demolished circa 1950.

Starting at the bottom, the diameter of the tower is 32 feet and narrows to 15 feet near the lantern. At the base of the tower, an impressive residence was constructed for the head keeper and his two assistants using New York cut granite.

The Fire Island Lighthouse observatory offers amazing views of Long Island, the Atlantic Ocean, the Great South Bay, and Fire Island beaches. On a clear day, the Fire Island Lighthouse provides views of the New York City skyline.

The first lighthouse at Fire Island was 74 feet tall. About as high as the flagpole that’s next to the current lighthouse.

Continue east on the raised boardwalk, turning around to view the lighthouse from a different angle.

In about 180 yards, the boardwalk ends at the Ranger Station. Walk through the parking lot towards the front of the Ranger Station and head west on Burma Road.

Along this sandy road, you’ll encounter more views of the Fire Island Lighthouse.

Turn left on the Pedestrian Beach Access and head toward the ocean. When you reach the shore of Lighthouse Beach, turn right and walk the beach for approximately 0.6 mile, back to Field 5, where the hike began.

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Review:

A lovely walk on the raised boardwalks and along the southern shore of Fire Island. This area is best visited in the off season to avoid the massive summertime crowds.

Pros:

Fire Island Lighthouse, Atlantic Ocean, ocean views.

Cons:

Fire Island Lighthouse tower is currently closed, Long Island traffic.

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Take a walk!

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Sources:

• Fire Island Lighthouse History
• Fire Island National Seashore
• Fire Island Lighthouse

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