Making It Out to Montauk and Amagansett

There’s something exciting about making it out to Montauk, the most eastern part of Long Island. It’s even more thrilling to make the Montauk Point Lighthouse your end goal. It’s the oldest lighthouse in New York and from here you can marvel at the 360-degree views of the Atlantic Ocean and Block Island. (To best capture them, you’ll have to climb the 137 steps to the top.) Contained within the Camp Hero State Park, the expansive beachfront here ranks high as well, partly for its distinction of having been featured in the Netflix Sci-Fi series “Stranger Things.” Yeah, go ahead and see if you can snag a closer look at those concrete bunkers. Nature lovers will enjoy walking through the wooded area of the park, too.

If you’re a lover of raw beauty in nature, you’ll revel in it even more out here on the East End. One look at your Discovery Map and you see the multitude of fun outdoor spots to check out in and around Amagansett and Montauk, New York. In addition to Camp Hero State Park, there’s also Shadmoor State Park, Hither Woods Preserve, Amagansett National Wildlife Refuge and Hither Hills State Park, all of which offer great hiking trails and an assortment of amenities such as boardwalks, golf courses, camping and pools. The mix of freshwater wetlands and coastal terrain in these recreation areas also attracts a nice variety of birds, so break out your binoculars. Also, know that the Walking Dunes Trail within Hither Hills State Park is a fun, easy hike that offers some super cool views. These sand hills, some of which soar up to eighty feet tall, are constantly morphing, or walking–hence the name Walking Dunes Trail. Know that you won’t be the only thing moving on this desert-like landscape.

And like the rest of the Hamptons, the beaches in and around Amagansett and Montauk will leave you in awe. The surf can be pretty darn big here as well, which is why Montauk–particularly from August through October–can be a surfer’s mecca. Just a short distance from Montauk village, Ditch Plains Beach stands out as the best known by wave riders. Whether you want to check out some of the cliffside views (of the buff surfers perhaps?) or grab a noodle bowl from the Ditch Witch, the iconic food truck that’s open seven days a week all summer long, this spectacular beach at the eastern end of Long Island is not just for surfers.

Here’s something else that’s great about the beaches here, especially in Montauk: there are plenty of places to enjoy a drink or a bite to eat by the water. Unlike in Europe, this is not often the case on the coast in the U.S. But here from Gurney’s Montauk Resort to around the point to Inlet Seafood Restaurant to Duryea’s Lobster Deck and Fish Market on Fort Pond Bay–along with many food trucks and seafood shacks along the way–you have an appetizing selection of choices for every budget. There’s nothing like drinking and dining by the water!

There are also some great places to restore yourself in Montauk village. Many of the eateries, places of lodging and shops were somewhat rundown a couple of decades ago. But within the past fifteen years or so, a lot of these establishments have gone from shabby to chic. Some are actually shabby chic, which is a popular boho look, too.

And what about the fish? Surrounded by so much of the big blue, you can bet that fishing, both commercial and for sport, ranks high here. Montauk boasts the largest commercial fishing harbor in New York and one of the biggest in the northeast. Head over there and check out the fleets, the fishermen and their catch and belly up to one of the seafood restaurants or seafarer’s bars to sip on a brew and sluice down some oysters. You’ll feel like you’re out of this world, a sentiment that reverberates throughout much of this part of New York state.