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Camping

Established Camping

Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area

Warning 1 Alert is In Effect

There is 1 alert for this campground. Camp safely!

Camp Gateway-Brooklyn NY will not be open for the 2024 season.

General Overview

National Park Service

Gateway National Recreation Area

Overview

There's no other campground in the world where a family can sleep under the stars, tour the Statue of Liberty, watch a Broadway musical and kayak in one of the world's premier bird migration sanctuaries-all in one trip. Camp Gateway provides a tranquil outdoor experience right outside the nation's most lively and iconic metropolis- New York City. Located in Floyd Bennet Field in Brooklyn, New York, the campground offers an outdoor escape for hiking, biking, birding and historic tours of airports and forts.Ranger-led programs are available all summer.

Recreation

History buffs can visit Civil War-era forts, restored historic aircraft or Nike missile sites. Nature lovers can stroll wooded paths, watch for birds and horseshoe crabs or simply relax. Horseback riding, kayaking and archery are also options.

Facilities

History buffs can visit Civil War-era forts, restored historic aircraft or Nike missile sites. Nature lovers can stroll wooded paths, watch for birds and horseshoe crabs or simply relax. Horseback riding, kayaking and archery are also options.

Natural Features

Gateway National Recreation Area exists within one of the most urbanized areas of the country, covering 26,000 acres of New Jersey and three New York City boroughs. Among the urban environment, the park boasts grasslands, woodlands, sand dunes, beaches, ponds, salt marshes and forests. Camp Gateway is in the woodland habitat of Floyd Bennet Field.

Nearby Attractions

Biking trails weave through Fort Tilden, with a military history that dates back to the War of 1812. Birders should try the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge with 300 species of migratory birds, with willets and green herons in spring and summer, or osprey and black crowned night herons year-round. If the big city beckons, head to Riis Landing for seasonal ferry rides to Manhattan. Call for information.

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Location

Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area is located in New York

Detail location of campground

Directions

Public Transportation: Take the Q35 bus to the Flatbush Avenue/Ryan Visitor Center stop. Enter the park through the pedestrian gate and walk around the right side of the Visitor Center. Keep walking east for approximately 1 mile to the camp grounds. Passenger vehicles: Take the Belt Parkway to exit 11S, Flatbush Avenue South. Proceed approximately one mile south to the main entrance of Floyd Bennett Field on the left (the last traffic light before the Gil Hodges Memorial Toll Bridge.) Make a LEFT turn at the light. Follow directions below. RV Campers/Commerical vehicles: From Eastern Long Island (North Shore): Take I-495 West (Long Island Expressway) to I-278 West (Brooklyn Queens Expressway). Exit at Tillary Street (Exit 29). Make left at second traffic light onto Flatbush Avenue South. Stay on Flatbush Avenue approximately 10 miles until just before the Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge. Make a left turn at the last traffic light before the bridge to enter Floyd Bennett Field. After turning into Floyd Bennett Field make the first left turn and then the next right turn. Campground check-in is 1 mile ahead on the right. From Central New Jersey: Take I-95 to Exit 13 (Goethels Bridge - toll). Cross bridge to I-278 East (Brooklyn Queens Expressway). Exit at Atlantic Avenuue (Exit 27). Stay right onto Atlantic Avenue. Take Atlantic Avenue to Flatbush Avenue. Make a right onto Flatbush Avenue southbound. Stay on Flatbush Avenue approximately 10 miles until just before the Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge. Make left at last traffic light before bridge to enter Floyd Bennett Field. After turning into Floyd Bennett Field make the first left turn and then the next right turn. Campground check-in is 1 mile ahead on the right.

Address

Floyd Bennett Field RYAN VISITOR CENTER
Brooklyn, NY 11234

Coordinates

40.594889 N
73.884165 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.
  • Hike-In
    Backcountry sites.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Available
  • Verizon
    Unknown
  • AT&T
    Available
  • T-Mobile
    Unknown

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Tent Cabin

Features

For Campers

  • Market
  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • WiFi
  • Drinking Water
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Sanitary Dump

Reviews

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47%
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4.0

out of 5

15 Reviews

Reviewed May. 12, 2019

A great little bit of camp in Brooklyn!

Gateway is perfect for camping when you don’t need a big adventure, just a well crafted little one. Located in Brooklyn, it was a natural choice when I took my group of scouts who were between the ages of 3-5, so in case of emergencies, or kids who freak out about tent sleeping, getting home or other resources is easy. Once in the sites, the foliage and layout perfectly cuts out the city, so it feels like real woods camping. And the beach nearby, visitor center, trails, and other amenities means you always hav something to do. Special highlight, the aviation museum!

I highly recommend it if you’re camping with little kids or if you just want an easy relaxing weekend when you can pop up a tent, hang a hammock, and not have to worry about packing for a big trip.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area by Michael V., May 12, 2019
  • Review photo of Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area by Michael V., May 12, 2019
  • Review photo of Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area by Michael V., May 12, 2019
Reviewed Jul. 23, 2018

Enjoyed my time there

Spent two summers there when they had the fishing and kayaking tournament met new friends and old ones I do hope they come back to Brooklyn Great place to RV and Camp out

Sitewaterfront where we put our kayaks into the water
Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Oct. 14, 2017

Great place!

And who would've thought in brooklyn of all places. Eady to book and get to.

SiteSite W37
Month of VisitNovember
Reviewed Oct. 14, 2017

Urban Camping

Not too far away from home you can feel secluded in this great national park. Although some campsites are 2 steps away from each other, we got lucky to be in G25 a little camp spot that's in a cul de sac. You'll hear crickets and tiny paws walking around while you sleep and of course, the airplanes landing and departing from the nearby aiport. The amenities are great. 24/7 bathroom and showers, a camp store that has all the necessary things you need. So try out the experience for only $30. $10.38 for the firewood but priceless memories are created

SiteG25
Month of VisitNovember
Reviewed Oct. 14, 2017

Love FBF!

We had a great time at Floyd Bennett field! Watch out for raccoons!

SiteG34
Reviewed Jun. 10, 2017

"Camping" in Brooklyn

We tried this campground without knowing what was safe and where to stay for visit New York City. It is located in Brooklyn and is little removed from everything. The sites are at Floyd Bennett Field which is an old airfield. The atmosphere here is eerily cool at the same time. You basically park and camp on the asphalt by the old hangars. No hookups at all but they do have a camp store and bath house. If you are tent camping, there are some grassy sites.

The campground is located right on Jamaica Bay so there were people fishing all the time from the seawall. At night, you could hear cars doing burnouts right next to us. To get to all the action in the city, we had to take a bus and then the subway. The travel was a headache but better than trying to drive in to New York City in our RV. One way to improve here would be to have some security at night as well as access to clean water and dump station. They remained locked most of the time for some reason.

The best part of this place was the free tour of Hangar B by some guys doing restoration of old planes (HARP). They had some great stories and gave us history of the planes on display.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area by Christy C., June 10, 2017
  • Review photo of Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area by Christy C., June 10, 2017
  • HARP demo in Hangar B at Floyd Bennett Field
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  • (5) View All
Reviewed Sep. 30, 2016

Weird One

This place is kind of a toss up for me. On one hand, I enjoy it because it's a little slice of heaven in the hell of one of the busy areas of New York. I hate this place for the same reason. It's not really camping if you're going to see a play and then go tour the Statue of Liberty. It just doesn't seem right to me. If I HAVE to be in New York, maybe I'd consider staying here again just to get myself out of the city for a bit. But this definitely isn't your "great outdoors/rest and relaxation" kind of place.

  • Review photo of Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area by Carrie J., September 30, 2016
Reviewed Sep. 16, 2016

Best getaway in New York!

Camp Gateway is one of my favorite places to go when I want to get away from the busy city! It's in such a great location because it's close to the city yet seems so far away. You feel like you are miles away from the busy city because of all the trees, and the campground creates a great outdoor feel. If camping is "boring" for you, this still is a great place to go because you can schedule tours and the Statue of Liberty isn't far away, so you can go visit that. I really enjoy hiking around the area, and they also have some great paths for biking. I rented my bike from a local shop close by- Avaitor Sports Shop. The only downside is that they do have a few guidelines and rules- lets are not allowed in the tent sites, no alcochol allowed and no charcoal grills. This does help keep the campground pretty clean, which is always nice. There is a lake nearby that has boat launches and I've seen people kayaking too. The campground was nice, and the campsite had a fire ring and table. Our camp spot was a little farther away from the restrooms, but it wasn't too bad. They also have showers available too. I would recommend this campsite!

  • Review photo of Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area by Kari M., September 16, 2016
  • Review photo of Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area by Kari M., September 16, 2016
  • Review photo of Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area by Kari M., September 16, 2016
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Aug. 24, 2016

Definitely a place to visit!

Camp Gateway in Brooklyn New York is one of my favorite places to visit. I went to college in New York, and loved to get out of the busy city and go camping and be outdoors. Camp Gateway was always a place that I loved to go. It is pretty close to town-which is crazy because you feel like you are miles away. Camp Gateway does offer a lot of different activities for everyone. One thing I love to do is go kayaking and stand up paddle boarding. My girlfriends and I tried to do this once a month to get away from the city and school. Because you are so close to the city, you can plan outdoor activities as well as some activities in the city. My friends and I stayed 1 night in the campground, and the next day went to a recital show that took us 10 minutes to get to. You can also walk, hike or ride your bike along multiple paths- I have done the Fort Tilden trail (I just walked, but there were multiple people that passed us on their bikes). Within the campground they do have some fire pits- which my friends and I always use because we love cooking smores and hot dogs for dinner. A little further away from the campground, about 10-15 miles there is a place where you can do horseback riding, see the Statue of Liberty (which is gorgeous!), and there is a little beach area. This beach area is where I do my kayaking and stand up paddle boarding. Again, its not very far away...you can either drive there, walk or ride your bike. The road is paved, which is nice. I stayed here also with my parents, and I know my dad went golfing one day (I didn't go, but he said it was awesome)- and again that was only a 10 minute drive from our camping spot. This campground like I said, does offer quite a bit. Sometimes it doesn't really feel like you are "camping" because things are pretty close by, but it definitely is worth going to and trying.

  • Review photo of Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area by Nadia V., August 24, 2016
  • Review photo of Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area by Nadia V., August 24, 2016
Reviewed Jul. 31, 2016

Ok if you don’t have another choice

The park itself is lovely and close to some other green areas. The nice thing about this campsite is that it’s so close to NYC. The bad thing about this campsite is that it’s so close to NYC. If you live in NYC this is a good, cheap, super quick escape accessible by public transport. If you’re visiting the area I’d recommend staying in Manhattan/Queens in an AirBNB for the full NYC experience or heading to Long Island, Pennsylvania, “Upstate” New York, or New Jersey for a better nature camping experience. For what it is, this site is a nice green little oasis. It’s National Park Service land and they try really hard to keep things clean and working well with so much traffic. Bring earplus for the airport traffic and the noisy neighbors. Tent sites are pretty and wooded, but there is also a TON of concrete from an old WW2 airfield.

Reviewed Jun. 18, 2016

Camp getaway

I don't really like campsites that too close to the city in my opinion. I came here anyways and this place is filled with little children screaming. The sky has no stars because of the light from the city. Not the best place if you are really serious about camping

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the max vehicle length at Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area?

    Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area allows vehicles up to 50 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area have wifi?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area does have wifi.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area?

    According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is unknown, AT&T is available, and T-Mobile is unknown.