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Crushing defeat. There is no sign of life at the Fire Island National Seashore- Sailors Haven Visitors Center. No Visitors Center, no National Park Passport Stamp.
The main purpose of the United States’ Memorial Day holiday, is to honor those who sacrificed their lives, serving in the military. Due to occurring just before June, the holiday has evolved into a summer season kick-off. That’s why we are perplexed. Growing up on the East Coast, Memorial Day weekend is when seasonal businesses officially open for the summer. The government however, is not a business, and Fire Island National Seashore-Sailors Haven Visitors Center, does not open until June. The building is tightly locked. We peek in the window. Can we see a stamp? Where is the stamp? How do we get our stamp for Fire Island National Seashore?
Getting There
Your mode of transportation, during a visit to Fire Island National Seashore, depends on your length of stay, and what you plan to see. Two areas, The Fire Island Lighthouse and The William Floyd Estate, are accessible by vehicle. Other areas of Fire Island National Seashore, are only accessible by boat.
There are three different, Fire Island, ferry terminals, that dock at specific island destinations. We have one day to spend at Fire Island National Seashore. Wanting to maximize our time in nature, and visit a National Park Visitors Center, Sailor’s Haven, is the best landing place.
Sayville Ferry Terminal is a two hour drive from Manhattan. You can take the Long Island Railroad to the Sayville stop. Per the website information, a shuttle at the station, will drive you to the Ferry Terminal. We opt to stay at a hotel in Long Island, near the ferry terminal, to ensure we make the morning, Sailors Haven, ferry.
The ferry is foot passengers only. Vehicles are not permitted on this section of the National Park. There is a fee to park your car in the Sayville Ferry Terminal parking lot.
It’s the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend. To ensure that ferry tickets don’t sell out before we board the boat, we are first in line for tickets. In the end, being extra early doesn’t matter, there is no danger of a Sailors Haven ferry sell out today. Passengers consist of us and a class of high school seniors, desiring to celebrate the end of classes, with a day-trip to the beach. The sell out line is for the ferry heading to Fire Island’s, Cherry Grove. The line seems to wind on for eternity.
Cherry Grove is the destination for those wanting to spend more than a few hours at the National Park. It’s the area that contains rental houses, hotels, shops, restaurants, and night clubs. Cherry Grove has a reputation for being a “party town.”
The Sailors Haven ticket booth is a small wooden shack.
We are delighted that they still issue paper tickets.
The ferry ride is calm and uneventful.
Things to Do in Sailors Haven
The first goal upon disembarking, is to find the National Park Visitors Center. A National Park Visitors Center, provides all of the basic information you need to further explore a park. Assuming the Visitors Center will be open starting Memorial Day Weekend, we are saddened to discover we are here too early. After conversations with island staff, it is confirmed that the National Park Passport Stamp, is located in the locked building until June.
Regrouping, we set out to experience Fire Island National Seashore-Sailors Haven’s activities.
The Beach
On one side of Sailor’s Haven is a long stretch of beige, sandy, beach.
This sand is mixed with debris, like miniscule pebbles and shell fragments. Grasses, growing on the dunes, sway in the breeze.
The water is the brownish-green color of the East Coast, Atlantic Ocean. Once on the beach, there is zero shade.
The beach is the goal of the senior class from our ferry ride. They spend the day splashing, playing games, and soaking up the summer rays.
The Restrooms
The only Sailors Haven restrooms, are located just off of the beach. They are a short walk, if you follow the boardwalk that goes behind the café.
The restrooms are clean, and include outdoor showers, to rinse off accumulated sand, before boarding the ferry home.
Sunken Forest
The Sunken Forest is the main, natural feature, of Fire Island National Seashore. It is the most National Park-like area, of this National Park site.
The Sunken Forest is a forest containing a rare assemblage of trees, sunken behind sand dunes. The National Park offers a boardwalk trail through the forest.
I am a fan of boardwalk trails. The hollow cluck of steps on boards, the lack of worry about tripping over rocks and tree roots, scenic decks looking over bodies of water, create delightful hikes.
The best part about an island trail through a forest, is shade. There are only glimpses of sun, shining through the thick coverage of holly, oak, and sassafras trees. Since it’s just the kick-off to summer, the merciless attack of bugs, has yet to begin.
There are a variety of plants to view. We glimpse a few birds and turtles on the trail.
The wavy trees are our favorite, trail, feature.
Portions of the trail reveal pretty views of the bay. It’s easy to see why The Sunken Forest trail is a highlight of Fire Island National Seashore.
Food
The Sayville’s Ferry drops passengers off at Sailor’s Haven at 10am (hours differ per date). The official Sailor’s Haven pick-up time, is 1:30pm, Monday-Friday (hours differ per date). The Sunken Forest Trail takes about an hour. After hiking the trail and admiring the beach, we find ourselves with unexpected free time. Having a bite to eat, seems like a good idea. The Sassyfras Café, has a good lunch menu, for a small beach snack shack.
Knowing we will eat a substantial dinner later, we split the falafel wrap with fries. We’re pleasantly surprised by the meal’s tastiness. The falafel isn’t dry, the produce is fresh, even the fries are cooked perfectly.
Munching our afternoon meal, on a deck, overlooking the bay, is a lovely, relaxing activity, to while away time.
If you plan on walking barefoot from the beach to the ordering window, be sure to bring footwear. The sun-drenched deck gets blazing hot. We witness many people doing a burning-foot dance, while trying to carry their burgers and chicken tenders.
The moment we land on the island, I note the colorful wooden sign, advertising ice cream.
Sadly, there is no ice cream during our visit. The individual, responsible for getting the ice cream on the morning ferry, overslept. As much as I hate missing out on ice cream, I find it comforting and amusing that in a world where I can order something online and get it delivered to my front door in a matter of hours, the delivery of ice cream to an island, can still be delayed by an unfortunate, very human, error.
The café area also houses The Sunken Sailor bar, for those desiring an afternoon libation.
For our last half-hour, we sit on the deck of the bolted National Park Visitors Center.
Reclined in wooden chairs, we plan the second-half of the day, deciding between the two vehicle-accessible, activities, The Fire Island Lighthouse and The William Floyd Estate.
Conclusion
A wagon, loaded with boxes of ice cream, passes our line, as we board the ferry back to the Sayville Terminal.
The only way to get to Sailors Haven, is by boat. If you don’t have your own boat, you must use the Sayville Ferry. As a day-tripper, you need to adhere to the ferry’s schedule. If you are staying at a house or hotel, in Cherry Grove, you are able to walk from Cherry Grove to Sailors Haven.
If you forget your beach towel, or want a souvenir magnet, there is a small gift shop, next to the café.
At first 10am-1:30pm (hours differ per date) didn’t seem like enough hours to spend at a
National Park site. Per our experience, a half-day, is an adequate amount of time to hike the Sunken Forest, spend time on the beach, and grab a light lunch/snack/drink.
During the height of the summer season, you can also visit the National Park’s Visitors Center, and take a guided tour of the Sunken Forest with a Park Ranger.
Fire Island National Seashore-Sailors Haven, is a great opportunity to visit a unique, ecological site, and is a nice way to immerse yourself in nature, away from the hustle and bustle of New York City life.
Find a Great Place to Stay on/near Fire Island National Seashore
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