Fire Island National Seashore - Park Statistics (U.S. National Park Service)

Within Fire Island National Seashore's park boundaries there are almost 15,000 acres of open water, 26 bay islands, approximately 101 miles of coastline (including 72 of Fire Island's 84 miles of Atlantic Ocean and bay shorelines), and 1,380 acres of wilderness.

Acreage
Fire Island National Seashore encompasses 19,580.29 acres of marine and terrestrial property.

Federal (6,241.95 acres):

3,090.44 acres owned by the National Park Service (NPS Fee Acres)
- including 1,380 acres of Federally-designated Wilderness
3,151.51 acres (NPS or Other Federal Less Than Fee Acres)

Non-Federal (13,338.34 acres):

12,422.73 acres of Other Public Lands
- Smith Point County Park (approx. 1,030 acres)
- Village of Bellport Beach (approx. 16.4 acres)
- Atlantique Beach (Town of Islip)
- Leja Beach/Davis Park (Town of Brookhaven)
- Publicly-owned bay bottom and bay islands
915.61 acres of privately owned lands within the designated boundary of Fire Island National Seashore

Designations
Fire Island National Seashore - September 11, 1964 (Public Law 88-587)

See Legislative History

During most years, Fire Island's visitation has gradually climbed. The decrease from 1994-1996 is most likely due to major storm damage to both beaches and property. In 2003, excessive rain, especially on weekends, appears to have affected visitation.

Visitation

In 2008, Fire Island National Seashore counted 850,925 people at its facilities.

604,577 recreational visits
246,348 non-recreational visits

In 2004, the park recorded its peak visitation figure of 975,236:

819,161 recreational visits
156,075 non-recreational visits

These figures are for visitation to park-owned sites only, and do not reflect the actual number of people spending time within the boundaries of Fire Island National Seashore.

It is estimated that 2.2 million people annually come to Fire Island, either into one of the 17 private communities, to the county park, on waters surrounding the island, or to one of the national seashore facilities.

The busiest months at Fire Island National Seashore are July and August, and the busiest days are on the weekends.

The National Park Service Public Use Statistics website includes detailed visitation data for Fire Island from 1967 to the present, as well as statistics for other National Park Service areas.

Cover of 2004 Business Plan for Fire Island National Seashore.

For More Information

For a more comprehensive analysis of park visitation, staffing and budget, you may wish to peruse:

Fire Island National Seashore Business Plan, Fiscal Year 2004.

For a more detailed break-down of visitation numbers:

NPS Public Use Statistics