Hiking New Jersey: Sandy Hook Lighthouse & Fort Hancock [VIDEO]

I took this picture of For Hancock and in the distance you can see the Freedom Tower in NYC and when I snapped this there was a reflection of an American Flag in the photo .... very appropriate I thought ~ Shawn Michaels

 

In our latest "Hiking New Jersey" April and I went to Monmouth County and a visit to the Gateway National Recreation Area. There you will find the Sandy Hook Lighthouse and Fort Hancock in Middletown. It is a close ride for all of us here at the Jersey Shore.

The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, built in 1764, is the Nation's oldest "operational" lighthouse! It's not the tallest in the State, but the 95 steps up to climb will give you a good cardio workout!

While your there you can hike the grounds around the old Fort Hancock, built in 1890, by the US Army to protect the New York Harbor area. There are walking, rollerblading and bicycle paths there and we got in a nice 3 mile hike. There are bike rentals on location too, if you'd like to travel about the grounds. There is no fee to visit the Lighthouse and Fort, but if your also gonna go to the beach there is a parking fee (by vehicle) that you'll pay at the entrance.

There are picnic areas and restrooms. We enjoyed our time at Gateway with a combination of exercise, sight-seeing and history ...  a great piece of New Jersey history! and a must hit spot on your "hiking" adventures here in the Garden State.

The Park also provides guided tours of the Lighthouse , which you'll enjoy.