Gateway National Recreation Area (N.J. and N.Y.)

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. Gateway is distinct from other national park units due to its lack of natural buffer zones and that it faces constant environmental changes driven by human activity. The lands and waters of Gateway represent some of the last remnants of the original shoreline. In 2001, the Jamaica Bay and Staten Island Units in New York drew more than 6 million visitors, while the Sandy Hook Unit in New Jersey attracted over 1 million.