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Managed by the National Park Service as a forever preserved wilderness area of hardwood groves, dunes, swamps, and marshes it offers the Island in it’s natural undisturbed state. The wooden walk 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. The forest is not actually below sea level, as many visitors believe. Rather, because it has developed behind the line of secondary dunes, it appears to be "sunken" beneath the tops of the dunes. It’s located between Point O'Woods and Cherry Grove. See Distance Table.
Important Phone Numbers: Visitor Center: 597-6183
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Any trip to Fire Island should include a visit to the Sunken Forest, one of the
National Seashore's highlights. This unique resource is one of the last
remaining maritime forests on the eastern seaboard. The forest is approximately
40 acres, and consists primarily of American holly (Ilex opaca),
sassafras (Sassafras albidum), and shadblow (Amelenchier canadensis).
Some of the older trees are estimated to be well over 200 years old.
