It was notable for having sections that were officially designated as clothing optional prior to The beach is named for the nearby Fire Island Lighthouse and was formerly the largest recognized clothing optional beach in New York. The beach is approximately one mile 1.

Fire Island National Seashore | FIRE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE AREA BEACHES

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Parked at field 4, and walked This is a great beach area and justifiably can get busy; a search of the internet will throw references to both topless and full nudity in certain areas. The current situation is that the genitals must be covered i. However, New York law allows topless sunbathing so that is OK on any of the beaches and as long as you are wearing even the skimpiest of g-strings etc you are good to go on any of the Fire Island beaches. Where the issue becomes more clouded is how much cover is required, the requirement is probably to have solid fabric but in reality even if you wear something sheer see through you will probably get away with it so long as from a reasonable distance it appears that you are covered. From various web pages it seems that several sunbathers are adopting this stance and see through g-strings, c-strings etc are being worn by several people all be it if you get close you will still see everything but you would have to make a conscious effort. I visited on a week day in June ; there were several people naked around lunchtime they were easy to spot due to their wind breakers that fully surrounded them but were only half the normal height with their heads sticking up above like Meer Cats looking around for Park Rangers.
Fire Island National Seashore officials announced in early February that they will start enforcing New York State laws against public nudity at Lighthouse Beach, a clothing-optional beach between Robert Moses State Park Field 5 and Kismet that drew up to 4, nudists on summer days. Koschmann said that the Sandy-damaged boardwalk to the Fire Island Lighthouse means visitors will have to walk down the beach through the area where the nudists gathered. But Koschmann said that despite such efforts, the nude beach increasingly became advertised online as a meeting place for public sex and prostitution. Lighthouse Beach was technically a pair of clothing optional beaches separated by a patch of non-nude beach in the area closest to the lighthouse to separate tourists and nudists. But even if the boardwalks were repaired in time for the summer season, the fact that the dunes had been decimated by Sandy means the beach is now visible from the lighthouse. The ban will also be enforced in other nude-friendly beaches along FI, such as Cherry Grove to the east.
Since there is no parking within Fire Island National Seashore, those visiting the Fire Island Lighthouse unit of the park must use the Field 5 parking lot at Robert Moses State Park a fee is required to enter the park. The Fire Island Lighthouse Beach officially starts at the border with the state park and continues past the lighthouse to the town of Kismet. The Fire Island Lighthouse itself is. As expected, most people put the least amount of effort into getting to the beach and just set up shop near the parking lot, which is still in the state park. However, some people continue on down towards the lighthouse and even farther, which is way more effort than required. From what I understand, going topless is not illegal, but full nudity is illegal in New York State. However, the nudity laws are state laws, not federal laws, and the National Park Service historically did not enforce them. That is until Hurricane Sandy hit in When Hurricane Sandy leveled many of the sand dunes that provided seclusion for the nude bathers, people started to complain. Beaches in front of private communities are of no concern to the National Park Service.