Places to Stay in New York

Hither Hills State Park stretches across the Montauk peninsula between Napeague Harbor and the Atlantic, and its 189-site campground sits directly on a sandy ocean beach, one of the few places in New York State where campers wake within sight of the surf. The beach is lifeguard-protected through the summer season, and the park is a long-established spot for surfing, windsurfing, stand-up paddleboarding and year-round surfcasting. Inland, woodlands of oak, shad, pine and Russian olive are threaded with hiking, biking, bridle and cross-country ski trails, and the park also offers picnic areas with fireplaces, playing fields and a playground. Its best-known natural feature is the walking dunes at Napeague Harbor on the eastern boundary, a slowly migrating dune system. Montauk village, the Montauk Point Lighthouse and Camp Hero State Park lie a short drive east.