Queens · Queens County
Rockaway Point
NYC Parks
- Location
- Tip of Breezy Point, Rockaway Peninsula
- Size
- Part of Gateway National Recreation Area acres
- Hours
- Dawn to dusk
- Type
- NYC Parks
Rockaway Point is the westernmost tip of the Rockaway Peninsula, part of the Gateway National Recreation Area administered by the National Park Service. The point offers wild beach access and panoramic views of Lower New York Bay.
The Rockaway Peninsula, a narrow barrier island stretching from Howard Beach to Breezy Point, provides a natural breakwater for Jamaica Bay and some of the only ocean-facing beaches in New York City.
Breezy Point, the residential community at the peninsula's western end, is one of the most isolated neighborhoods in New York City. The cooperative community is accessible only through a guarded entrance, giving it a small-town character unique in the city.
The Rockaway Peninsula was devastated by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, with the Breezy Point section experiencing a massive fire that destroyed over 100 homes. The community's recovery has been a long and ongoing process.
Rockaway Point provides access to wild Atlantic beach and the dramatic meeting of ocean and bay at the tip of the Rockaway Peninsula, one of the most geographically dramatic locations in New York City.