Smith Point County Park on Long Island, New York

By SummerIsComing, published Jun 25, 2007
Published Content: 1,101  Total Views: 618,979  Favorited By: 42 CPs
Contact  Subscribe   Add to Favorites
Rating: 4.0 of 5
 
Font
 
Font
Everyone loves the ocean, and on hot days it's the first place you want to be. The ocean is your spot to swim, fish, surf, suntan, and just hang out.

I live on Long Island and the closest ocean to my home is Smith Point Park. The park however is actually an ocean, and a beach on the other side of the gigantic parking lot. There are 2 main entrances for beach goers. The walk from the parking lot is quite tedious; it consists of walking from the parking lot, walking underneath a small bridge, traveling down a small trail, and finally the main entrance to the actual beach. This is a feat that a handicapped person may not be able to complete.

So Smith Point County Park added in a handicapped-parking section that is an easy walk to the beach, and it only requires a minimum of about 40 steps to the beach. (Not actual 'wooden' steps. Footsteps). This is my first major blah when it comes to the ocean. For one the handicapped parking lot can only fit about 30 cars. So imagine how long one must wait on a hot 100 degree July day.

Another huge problem with the handicapped parking is that it is free to go to the ocean. Everyone else must pay the $10 fee to get in, or purchase a $50 season pass. So people, (you know the selfish ones) will borrow their grandmother's handicapped parking tag, or car, and take it to the ocean just for free parking.

BBQ

Now I've always enjoyed a good BBQ, and at Smith Point there are about 9-10 outdoor grills for people to use freely. However the grills and benches can get tightly packed. If you are not there by 12 in the afternoon you can forget about using a grill.

OFF ROAD VEHICLES:

Smith Point allows you to ride your vehicle onto the beach for a hefty fee. It will be separate entrance from the rest of the beach where people are tanning, so if you want to you can isolate yourself from everyone else and drive right up onto the beach.

THE OCEAN PARKING LOT:

Huge!!!! On one side of the parking lot is the ocean, and the other the beach. The beach is so small though that there is only about 5 - 6 feet of actual sand to sit on.

 
Share
 
Save For Later
 
Publish Yours
 
Print
More by SummerIsComing
View all »
Smith Point County Park on Long Island, New York
Smith Point County Park on Long Island, New York
More images:  1  2  Enlarge +

Smith Point

Credit: nps.gov

Copyright: nps.gov

You may also like...
Other topics: 
Comments
Showing Comments 1 - 15 of 21
Next >>
 
Here's my response and additional information: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/538243/smith_point_county_park_on_long_island.html

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/14/2008 at 12:01:45 PM

 
Oh and, they don't charge you to go to the beaches/oceans in the Hamptons, so long as you park down near the canal on dune rd. Derka der. Maybe you should do more research on beaches on LI before telling me that ALL beaches charge a fee. Also MANY beaches are free to visit.

Add a Comment

Posted on 10/03/2007 at 10:10:00 AM

 
Happy now? Edited with errors fixed. If I left any out, let me know. Thanks for informing me about the times! I truly thought they were open at 7. Thanks for that. Now feel free to write your own article, so I can go and tear it apart. Kidding. ;)

Add a Comment

Posted on 10/03/2007 at 10:10:00 AM

 
No, the general public CANNOT bring their dogs onto the beach. In order to bring your dog you must be camping... This I was not aware of... but thanks for informing me.

Add a Comment

Posted on 10/03/2007 at 9:10:00 AM

 
I ALSO said that there were deer, but have I ever called them annoying.... I said dont feed them because it is the law. I also said that you should not get up close and personal with them because of the TICKS. They are covered in ticks! Im sure you know this. This is what I said.... this is WHY YOU SHOULD NOT get close to them. Lymes disease is a threat being near them. I never said LET THEM STARVE. You are putting words into the article that were never there.

Add a Comment

Posted on 10/03/2007 at 9:10:00 AM

 
I ALSO never made claims that people have drowned.... I said it IS A POSSIBILITY. Maybe you should stop making assumptions

Add a Comment

Posted on 10/03/2007 at 9:10:00 AM

 
Sorry I offended you, but my opinion still remains. Some of my information on the ACTUAL park... hours and such may have been off... however my opinion about the place sticks. I will edit this peice to fix the errors....but your long speech will not cause me to edit my opinion. I have also deleted any rude comments, and cuss words you have left for me. One can have opposing view points without acting like a child. You could have informed me of my 'errors' on the review without acting like this. My opinion remains though, do know that. I think the park sucks. But I have chopped it up, and sugar coated it. You could have simply told me about the errors, but to tell me I AM A LIAR for speaking me mind about how I FEEL about the park is hypocritical. I NEVER stated anywhere that a child had been hit by a buggie. Yet you seem to think I did. I said it is a poosibility, that should NOT be ignored.

Add a Comment

Posted on 10/03/2007 at 9:10:00 AM

 
really good. Have you ever been to a baseball game, the food there is double the price and half as good. There is nothing you should be complaining about here. TEENS ON WHEELS - They have these gators for efficiency. Any teenager can be immature at times, but they get the job done. They are not racing around hitting little children. You look in the records and see if a child or anyone was ever hit by these "Teens on Wheels". If you do, you will find that the answer is no one, zero people have been hit by someone on a gator. They do clean in the morning at 6am when they start their shift, but like you said people are slobs, so they have to clean up the beach throughout the day. BASKETBALL COURT/THEFT - This is why we have park police. You call 911 for everything else, why not this. I highly doubt you have ever seen anyone selling drugs on the basketball court. Also if your towel or something was ever missing, did you think to look in the lost and found. There are honest peo

Add a Comment

Posted on 09/26/2007 at 3:09:00 PM

 
these statements are false. Since the county has taken over Smith Point (which was many years ago) not one person has drowned at the beach, due to the fact that they have excellent and well-trained life guards protecting the waters. Also, the Smith Point lifeguards have came in first place in the national competition for lifeguards at least the past three years. PETS - Actually you can bring your pets on the beach they just have to be east of the campground booth. Yes sometimes people don't clean up after their dogs, but as a park they do promote cleaning up after your dog. They hand out doogie poopie baggies at the campground booth since you have to walk past there anyway. They have they inside the office as well for campers to take with them. Also, if park police sees someone not cleaning up after their dog they are issued a summons. GARBAGE - First they can't stop people from littering, but they do have maintenance kids to clean up after them. They constantly pick up the

Add a Comment

Posted on 09/26/2007 at 3:09:00 PM

 
(by the way they charge you to go to any beach on Long Island). The life guards are on duty from 7am - 5:30pm. Yes there are certain areas where you can swim and that are lifeguard protected (this is for your own protection), and that is at EVERY BEACH and it is not that small of an area. You are complaining that you cannot bring a boogie board in the water while the life guard are in duty, but then saying that when they are off duty people surf right on top of you. Your contradicting yourself. Imagine people surfing in the lifeguard protected areas all day, someone could drown, again this is for your own protection. Any heavy objects are dangerous in the water because they could hit a little kid or anyone for that matter and they could drown. You also say there are too many swimmers and you can drown without anyone noticing. Then you say the lifeguards don't do their job. Again with a little research you would know that you are yet again contradicting yourself and these state

Add a Comment

Posted on 09/26/2007 at 3:09:00 PM

 
Third, you do NOT at any time put a deposit down for a site. You can reserve a site using your green key, but you do NOT PAY ANY MONEY until you show up the day of your reservation. Also you don't have to make a reservation you can just show up and get a site. Regarding the guests you are allowed to cars on your site, so if they park on your site they can stay all night. Now that's Fun! fun! THE PARKING LOT - To correct you, the beach and the ocean are on the same side of the parking lot. See I don't know if you realized this, but you crossed a bridge to get to Smith Point, so of course water is surrounding the island. Just a little geographyfor you, to the south is the beach and Atlantic Ocean and to the north is the Great South Bay and the Moriches Bay. The bay side is where ther is not a lot of beach and it rocky and there is seaweed. There are no rocks on the Oceanside beach. If you know anything about Long Island you would know that South shore beaches are sandy and No

Add a Comment

Posted on 09/26/2007 at 3:09:00 PM

 
You can if you want to because then the permit will be cheaper, but they don't make you do anything you don't want to do. Secondly, the green key is NOT $30, it is only $20 and it is valid for 3 years, from the date of purchase. Which brings me back to the parking; yes it is $10 to park without a green key, but it is only $5 to park with one. Also, if you are a senior citizen, handicapped, a veteran, a FD volunteer, an EMT volunteer or an auxiliary cop, your green key is only $9 and then you can park for free Monday - Friday. If your handicapped you park for free all the time. If you are a disabled vet anything you do at any Suffolk County Park (including your green key) is free all the time. CAMPING - You are a nature girl and that is probably why you don't like camping there. It is camping at the beach not in the woods. First the sites are not as small as you make them sound. Second, it is not just trailers, people do tent camp there. There is also camping on the beach. T

Add a Comment

Posted on 09/26/2007 at 3:09:00 PM

 
Your review is ridiculous. You are so picky and you sound so absurd. Most of your statements are false. First of all the parking lot is not a far walk at all. Big deal you have to walk underneath a tunnel, that's whats wrong with the world these days, everyone is lazy. It is not a far walk and if you think about it...there is no where else for the parking lot to go. Yes there is handicapped parking by the main pavilion, and yes there are a limited number of spots. If you look in the main parking lot the whole front row is handicapped parking as well. Also you cannot blame the Park for the number of handicapped spots they have. It is a state law how many handicapped spots there allowed depending on how many regular spots are in the park. Also if there were more handicapped spots you would be complaining there are not enough regular spots. Yes, I'm sure people do borrow their grandmothers handicapped tag, but that happens anywhere you go and you can't blame the Park for that o

Add a Comment

Posted on 09/26/2007 at 3:09:00 PM

 
you do a lot of stalking. Enjoy the beach. Have fun watching people pork in front of your kids. Tah ta.

Add a Comment

Posted on 08/09/2007 at 11:08:00 AM

 
you do a lot of complaining

Add a Comment

Posted on 07/25/2007 at 7:07:00 PM

Type in Your Comments Below - (1000 characters left)
Your name:

Submit your own content on this or any topic. Get started »
Showing Comments 1 - 15 of 21
Next >>
Most Commented On