Fire Island Pines
Fire Island, Long Island · United States
America's gay island, since the 1950s. Nude sunbathing is tolerated on the Pines and Cherry Grove beaches, and everyone you know is here in July.
- Status
- Tolerated
- Crowd
- Gay beach
- Country
- United States
- City
- Fire Island
- Water
- Sea
- Best time
- June to September
- Confidence
- High
Find it
40.6635° N, 73.0740° WGood to know
The National Park Service enforces a nudity ban on the federal beaches (Lighthouse, Sailors Haven, Watch Hill) since 2013. The Pines and Cherry Grove community beaches are not affected.
The gay end
The community beaches in front of the Pines and Cherry Grove, and the sand between them. Nudity is tolerated there.
Crowd A nude beach the boys have made their own: a gay-majority crowd, a beach bar that knows it, and friends you have not met yet.
Getting there
LIRR to Sayville, then the ferry to the Pines or Cherry Grove. No cars, no roads, boardwalks only.
The rules
Tolerated. Not designated, but nude bathing has been the custom for years and is left alone. Rules and patrols can change, so read the signs when you arrive.
No photos of anyone, sunscreen everywhere, cover up the moment you leave the nude stretch, and go home with the light. It is a beach: sunbathe, swim, talk, flirt. Anything more belongs somewhere private.
Questions people ask
Is Fire Island Pines a gay beach?
Yes. America's gay island, since the 1950s. Nude sunbathing is tolerated on the Pines and Cherry Grove beaches, and everyone you know is here in July. The community beaches in front of the Pines and Cherry Grove, and the sand between them. Nudity is tolerated there.
Is it legal to be nude at Fire Island Pines?
Tolerated rather than designated. Not designated, but nude bathing has been the custom for years and is left alone. Rules and patrols can change, so read the signs when you arrive. The National Park Service enforces a nudity ban on the federal beaches (Lighthouse, Sailors Haven, Watch Hill) since 2013. The Pines and Cherry Grove community beaches are not affected.
How do I get to Fire Island Pines?
LIRR to Sayville, then the ferry to the Pines or Cherry Grove. No cars, no roads, boardwalks only. Best time: June to September.
More in United States
Method
Status says what the law and the locals allow; crowd says who is on the sand. Both come from gay-travel guides, the national naturist federations and members who were just there, scored on sources, recency, crowd, legal footing and safety. How we rank. Pins mark the beach; the gay end is described above. Last reviewed September 2026.