Stretching 32 miles from east to west, this thin barrier island is home to sand dunes and saltwater marshes, a forest of 300-year old holly trees, numerous hiking trails, the only federally-designated wilderness area in New York, abundant birds and wildlife, a working 1858 lighthouse, and sandy beaches along its entire length.

Activities include sightseeing, hiking, ocean beach recreation, and wildlife-viewing; tent camping at Watch Hill, and backcountry camping in the wilderness area; and canoeing, boating, and fishing in Great South Bay, along salt marshes, and between Watch Hill and Smith Point. Interpretive programs are offered at all sites.

Fire Island is one of the best places in the New York area for birdwatching. Its diverse habitats support a great variety of birds throughout the year, and it is a prime "rest stop" for birds on migration. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded on this thin strip of land, around 1/3 of all the birds found in North America! Wildlife-viewing opportunities are many, with plentiful white-tailed deer, red fox, gray squirrel, eastern cottontail rabbit, long-tailed weasel, and the black racer (a snake), and off the coast, migrating whales.

• Fire Island Lighthouse Area -
• Sailors Haven -
• Smith Point/Fire Island Wilderness Visitor Center -
• Watch Hill -
• William Floyd Estate -

• Stroll the Sunken Forest boardwalk trail through 300 year-old holly tree woodlands, salt marsh, and dune swales.
• Visit the historic Fire Island Lighthouse, then walk along the Atlantic Ocean at Lighthouse Beach.
• Explore the Colonial house, 600-acre grounds, and cemetery of the William Floyd Estate, home of the Revolutionary War general and signer of the Declaration of Independence.