Each week James Lane Post will highlight a different spot to explore outdoors on the East End in our series “A Walk Outside.” This week: Camp Hero State Park.
Visiting Camp Hero State Park is an excursion that offers not only gorgeous ocean views and dramatic bluffs overlooking the Montauk Lighthouse, but also a rich and interesting history.
The site was originally commissioned by the U.S. Army in 1942, and used as a coastal defense station to prevent any potential invasion of New York from the sea during World War II.
In 1992, Preston Nichols and Peter Moon wrote “The Montauk Project: Experiments in Time,” a book popular with conspiracy theorists, that alleged secret time travel experiments were carried out at the site. The Netflix show “Stranger Things” is inspired by these supposed experiments.
Let’s just say we’re all in on this theory if it means we can travel back to 2019 and have a do-over.
Camp Hero as a State Park was opened to the public in 2002. The site offers picnic areas, a beach, and extensive trails for hiking and biking. It is also a popular fishing spot with common game fish like striped bass and bluefish.
Since it’s a popular destination, check for closures as parking may be reduced due to Covid-19 restrictions.
