Sailors Haven
Located near the center of Fire Island, across the Great South Bay from Sayville, New York, it is home to one of the best known areas of Fire Island National Seashore, the Sunken Forest. This unique resource is one of the last remaining maritime forests on the eastern seaboard and consists primarily of American holly, sassafras, and shadblow. Some of the older trees are estimated to be well over 200 years old. The forest is not actually below sea level; rather, because it has developed behind the line of secondary dunes, it appears to be "sunken" beneath the tops of the dunes.

The Sunken Forest Nature Trail is a 1.5-mile boardwalk which leads through several ecosystems besides the forest itself, including saltmarsh, the Great South Bay, and the swale zone between the dunes. Ranger-led walks through the forest are held 5 days a week during the summer.

Sailors Haven also offers a visitor center, snack bar, picnic tables, lifeguarded beach (summer only), a 42-slip marina with electricity and coin pumpout, and bathhouse. Visitor facilities are open from May 15-October 15.

Permit Information
There is no backcountry camping in this region of Fire Island National Seashore.

Directions
Route 27 to Lakeland Ave. exit (to Sayville). At intersection with Main Street (Montauk Highway), turn left (east), then turn right (south) on Foster Avenue and follow signs to Sayville Ferry.

Information Center
The Sailors Haven Visitor Center provides information and visitor services seasonally.

Activities