{"id":283076,"date":"2026-07-01T01:22:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T01:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/283076\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T01:22:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T01:22:32","slug":"hidden-at-the-edge-of-queens-this-abandoned-1917-us-army-base-features-decaying-world-war-ii-bunkers-and-highly-secluded-white-sand-beaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/283076\/","title":{"rendered":"Hidden at the edge of Queens, this abandoned 1917 US Army base features decaying World War II bunkers and highly secluded white-sand beaches"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Hidden<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBattery Harris East \/ Keith Walpole<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When you think of New York City, you probably don\u2019t imagine white-sand beaches and decaying World War II bunkers.<\/p>\n

But hidden at the edge of Queens lies Fort Tilden. It is a former US Army installation that has been beautifully reclaimed by nature. Located on the Rockaway Peninsula, this secluded spot is a total escape from the concrete jungle.<\/p>\n

A forgotten fortress in the sand<\/p>\n

Originally built in 1917, Fort Tilden was New York\u2019s first line of defense during World War I and World War II.<\/p>\n

The fort once housed immense cannons capable of firing a 16-inch shell 30 miles out to sea. Later, during the Cold War, the base held Nike nuclear missiles. By the 1970s, the military officially abandoned the site.<\/p>\n

Today, nature has completely taken over. Urban explorers can wander down overgrown pathways and stumble across giant concrete monoliths half-buried in the sand. It feels like a quiet, cinematic post-apocalyptic world right inside NYC.<\/p>\n

\"\"The History of Fort Tilden, Floyd Bennett Field, and Marine Park \/ Facebook <\/p>\n

A wild and peaceful beach getaway<\/p>\n

Now part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, the fort offers a dramatically different coastal experience.<\/p>\n

Instead of crowded boardwalks, you will find a quiet, white sand shore<\/a> bordered by dunes and a maritime forest. It is a highly peaceful getaway that remains much less crowded than other popular city beaches.<\/p>\n

Nature lovers also flock here to spot threatened nesting birds. If you look closely, you might catch a glimpse of the highly camouflaged Piping Plover or Least Tern running along the shoreline.<\/p>\n

\"\"Source \/ Gateway National Recreation Area<\/p>\n

What to know before you go<\/p>\n

Because the area remains beautifully rugged and undeveloped, there are a few important things to keep in mind before you visit.<\/p>\n

No swimming is allowed. There are absolutely no lifeguards on duty here.<\/p>\n

Stay on the marked paths. This protects the fragile, hard-to-see bird nests hidden in the sand.<\/p>\n

Avoid closed military structures. While they look cool from the outside, the old batteries and magazines are very hazardous to enter.<\/p>\n

Bring your fishing gear. Saltwater fishing is popular here, but make sure to register with the Recreational Marine Fishing Registry first.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Battery Harris East \/ Keith Walpole When you think of New York City, you probably don\u2019t imagine white-sand…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":283077,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-283076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283076\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/283077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}