The worst part about going to the beach is leaving the beach. You spend precious hours slipping into the rarest state of deep relaxation only to be shaken awake by the logistical task of moving your crispy bones back to Babylon. The fact that you just finished a book, or played with this really cool ball in the water for geez—what was that, two hours?—offers little solace on a train or ferry full of cranky, sandy New Yorkers. (If you’re biking home at least there’s Roll N Roaster.) This is the undeniable appeal of Camp Rockaway: the sublime knowledge that you can collapse into a bed steps from the beach. Go home? You are home.
Camp Rockaway is glamping, not camping. There is the aforementioned bed in a spacious tent, plus solar-powered showers and a large shared bathroom. You can charge your phone and access decent Wifi. Food vendors are plentiful thanks to the Riis Park Beach Bazaar, which is steps away from the 12-tent campsite, set directly off the Jacob Riis Park promenade. The staff are cheery and helpful, true camp counselors.
This is considerably more than you’ll find at the National Parks Service’s campsites at Floyd Bennett Field, which are over two miles away from the beach, over the Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge. Those sites are $30/night. Camp Rockaway will set you back at least $200 during the week, and $250 on the weekend. (I was fortunate enough to have my stay at Camp Rockaway comped.) It's tempting, if pricey, sick day programming at the People’s Beach.
That said, you can hear the ocean from your tent.
(Scott Lynch / Gothamist)
I expected there to be younger couples and people looking to continue their beach parties well into the night, but the scene at Camp Rockaway is much more subdued—serene, even.
Two families, both with several children, stayed in tents across from mine. There’s a beach bar right next to the campsite but it closes at sundown. Anyone looking for a party will have to take the bus (or a dockless Lime bike) into the Rockaways. Or you could see what’s going on in Breezy Point. Or maybe, just grill your food over the campfire and hit the hay when your eyes get droopy.
Riis almost feels lonely at these hours, and the beach is essentially yours.
Riis beach as the crowds peel away (Chris Robbins / Gothamist)
Rochelle Ross, an education consultant, and her friend Kassandra King, an attorney, said they were escaping Bed-Stuy for the weekend at Camp Rockaway.
“All my vacations this year are in the metro area. Why not?” Ross said. “My theme for the year is to get back to nature, and with that it was important to find places close to home, so that if I enjoy that spot I can return to that spot easily.”
Ross said she has been glamping on Governors Island, and that Camp Rockaway was “a little more earthy... I like the fact that you can enjoy nature in a pseudo-modern environment. I don’t feel like I’m in New York.”
King added, “Had it been the typical camping, having to rough it, I probably would have said ‘Uhhh, no I’ll pass.’”
The fire pit and the camp site at Camp Rockaway (Chris Robbins / Gothamist)
The NPS says that Camp Rockaway is part of a two-year pilot program, and that they are in the process of giving more people the opportunity to camp in Gateway National Recreational Area, which encompasses parks in New York and New Jersey.
“Gateway is exploring new opportunities to expand camping in the Jamaica Bay unit, specifically at Floyd Bennett Field and Fort Tilden,” said Daphne Yun, a spokesperson for Gateway. “We are planning a greater camping expansion at Fort Tilden, although this will be a multi-year effort.”
According to NPS, 9.2 million people visited Gateway in 2018, making it the fourth most-visited national parks site. There is clearly demand for overnight beach stays. It’s not hard to imagine a scenario in which Casper and Brooklinen and Rumpl (yes, Rumpl) somehow turn Riis Park’s Art Deco bathhouse into a boutique hotel.
“If they put a hotel here I probably wouldn’t come,” Ross said disapprovingly. “That’s not the appeal for me. It’s being outdoors, in a tent. There are hotels in Queens.”
Camp Rockaway Is located at Jacob Riis Park, 157 Rockaway Beach Blvd (it's not that easy to get there, check out our guide here for transportation options to the area)
