Safety, Weather and Protection

Our Dead Horse Bay location may be one of the most beautiful spots in New York City, but it is a little bit remote and reaching it requires almost a half-mile of hiking over uneven terrain. Glass washes up from a hundred-year-old dump site and, while it is sanitary, historic and beautiful glass, this glass presents a number of safety hazards that require your attention at all times. It is also essential that you take the precaution of wearing some kind of shoes that can get wet. Crocs are Jerry’s footwear of choice, but any kind of water shoes will do it. Keds are another popular choice. FlipFlops, sleepers and any similar open shoes are not recommended to visit Dead Horse Bay.

You’ll need to carry in everything that you will need for the day... and carry out all trash with you. If you are staying for the full six-plus hours, that means enough food and water. This is a little bit like Burning Man. If you hike South across the Marine Parkway Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, there is Maria’s Breezy Point food truck at the ramp landing on the Rockaway side of the bridge. This food service has a variety of tasty treats, including shakes, smoothies, burgers, knishes, hot dogs, and her trademark Brazilian Burrito.

There will be almost no shelter from the sun, so that sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat are essential. No matter how hot it may be during the day, it will get chilly after the sun goes down, so do bring a something to put on. The partial lunar eclipse may be at its best when it is starting to get dark and that will also be high tide, so again, make sure you bring comfortable shoes that can get wet and shirt or light coat in case it gets cold by the end of the day.