Gateway National Recreation Area
Gateway National Recreation Area is a 26,607-acre (10,767 ha) U.S. national recreation area in New York City and Monmouth County, New Jersey. Visitors find it in Middletown Township. Its operator is the National Park Service. 2025 brought 7.7M visitors.
A national recreation area inside Middletown Township
Visits fell 14% in 2025
The National Park Service counted 7,696,939 visitors in 2025, down from 8,929,035 the year before. Visitors ↓
You can sleep inside the park
3 places to stay are inside the park: Navy Lodge New York and Camp Gateway. The nearest town with more is Middletown Township. Where to stay ↓
Best months: May, Jun, Aug, Sep and Oct
May, June, August, September and October are the mild months, with highs of 66–84°. When to go ↓
An airport 8 miles away
Newark Liberty (EWR) has airline service, about 8 miles from Gateway National Recreation Area.
Established in 1972
Gateway National Recreation Area dates from 1972 and is run by National Park Service. About ↓
Written from National Park Service visitor counts, NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia. Updated when the Park Service posts a new month.
Visitors and weather through the year
Here is how visitors and weather at Gateway change through the year.
Gateway National Recreation Area
Gateway National Recreation Area is a 26,607-acre (10,767 ha) U.S. national recreation area in New York City and Monmouth County, New Jersey. It provides recreational opportunities that are not commonly found in a dense urban environment, including ocean swimming, bird watching, boating, hiking and camping. More than 8.7 million people visited Gateway National Recreation Area in 2022, making it the fourth-most visited unit of the National Park Service.
Gateway was created by the U.S. Congress in 1972 to preserve and protect scarce or unique natural, cultural, and recreational resources with relatively convenient access by a high percentage of the nation's population. It is owned by the federal government and managed by the National Park Service.
- Type
- National Recreation Area
- Established
- 1972
- Area
- 42 square miles
- Run by
- National Park Service
- Wikipedia readers
- 11K a year
- Official site
- nps.gov/gate
When it is open
Staying near Gateway National Recreation Area
You can sleep inside the park (3 places). For a bed close by, look to Middletown Township (8) and New York City (1,485).
- 1Coney Island
- 2Madison Square Garden
- 3Central Park
- 4Studio 54
- 5MetLife Stadium
- 6Metropolitan Museum of Art
- 7National September 11 Memorial & Museum
- 8Yankee Stadium
Stay in the park
- Navy Lodge New York lodge or cabins
- Camp Gateway campground
- Sandy Hook Campground campground
New York City
8,584,629 people
8 mi northeast of Fort Wadsworth Visitor Center · 4 mi to the park
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From the visitor center | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middletown Township | in town | — | 8 5 hotels · 1 motel · 2 campgrounds | 67,135 | $608K | A− |
| New York City | 8 mi northeast | 10 min | 1,485 1295 hotels · 35 motels · 71 inns & B&Bs · 17 lodges & cabins · 38 hostels · 28 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 8,584,629 | $778K | D |
| Jersey City | 7 mi north | 10 min | 39 34 hotels · 1 motel · 2 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 campground | 302,013 | $567K | C− |
| Elizabeth | 8 mi northwest | 10 min | 25 16 hotels · 8 motels · 1 inn or B&B | 141,675 | $449K | D |
| Newark | 10 mi northwest | 15 min | 29 27 hotels · 2 inns & B&Bs | 323,808 | $374K | C− |
| Woodbridge Township | 13 mi west | 20 min | 25 20 hotels · 5 motels | 104,802 | $433K | — |
| Secaucus | 12 mi north | 20 min | 18 16 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 1 lodge or cabins | 22,640 | $572K | C− |
| North Bergen Township | 13 mi north | 20 min | 19 15 hotels · 4 motels | 61,483 | $474K | B |
Day trip from
Straight-line miles.
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service, from the visitor center
Make a day of it near Gateway
Places worth adding lie within 27 miles.
Big draw18 mi BeachConey Island
Big draw220 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw323 mi City parkCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw421 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw525 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw623 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a year
Big draw718 mi MuseumNational September 11 Memorial & Museum
Big draw826 mi Stadium & arenaYankee StadiumPhoto credits
Coney Island: OptimumPx, Public domain · Madison Square Garden: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Central Park: Ed Yourdon from New York City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Studio 54: Americasroof (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · MetLife Stadium: babyknight, CC BY 2.0 · Metropolitan Museum of Art: Hugo Schneider, CC BY-SA 2.0 · National September 11 Memorial & Museum: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0 · Yankee Stadium: Matt Boulton, CC BY-SA 2.0
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In 2025, 7,696,939 visitors
The record starts in 2016 and runs to 2025.
Good to know about Gateway
Is Gateway National Recreation Area in Middletown Township?
Yes. It’s inside Middletown Township, NJ. The address is 210 New York Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10305.
When is the best time to visit Gateway National Recreation Area?
May, June, August, September and October, with highs of 66–84°. July is the busiest month (about 1,106,656 visitors).
How many people visit Gateway National Recreation Area each year?
7,696,939 in 2025, according to the National Park Service. The record is 9,405,622, set in 2019.
How far is Gateway National Recreation Area from Oyster Bay?
About 32 miles northeast of Oyster Bay, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Gateway National Recreation Area?
Newark Liberty (EWR), about 8 miles away.
Where should I stay near Gateway National Recreation Area?
Inside the park: Navy Lodge New York, Camp Gateway and Sandy Hook Campground. Nearby: New York City (8 mi, 1,485 places to stay), Jersey City (7 mi, 39 places to stay) and Elizabeth (8 mi, 25 places to stay).
What locals in Middletown Township say
Start the conversation in Middletown Township’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · National Park Service visitor use statistics · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.