I want to go to one of these beaches on the weekend. I understand parking is almost non-existent without a permit. Can anyone recommend a place to park near the beach without a permit. If not, is it possible to park in town and walk or cab to the beach. I see from the maps that's about a 2 mile walk. Is there anyplace in town to park all day on a weekend? Any better suggestions?

One suggestion is to stay at a motel/hotel,B&B, etc. that
will give you a pass for your car. They usually take your
credit card for deposit so the pass doesn't walk & return
it when you return the pass.

Rhea58,

That's a good suggestion which I didn't know, however on short notice, it's hard to get a reservation.

Right now my plan is to get there early and try to snag a spot in one of the small first come.. parking lots. If I can't get a spot, I'll park at the RR and call a taxi.

You only catch is that you need to organize a cab fo the trip back in advance. They're not alwasy esily available in the Hamptos in the summer.

nytraveler,

Good point. If I can't get a cab back, I suppose I'd have to walk the 2 or so miles back to the car. The wife wouldn't be happy.

Instead of going all the way out to the Hamptons, have you considered Jones Beach, or Fire Island. Both are easy to get to. I really love the beach and hiking trail at the Sunken Forest on Fire Island and LIRR has a nice package deal train/cab/ferry rt and I think it's only $22. Fire Island has a cafe and ranger station when you get off the ferry and a well maintained shower house, since it is part of the Park Service.

Travelbuff has a great inexpensive idea.
For what it's worth, I stayed @ East Hampton House
800-698-9283 which was a good find w/deli across the street
Altho on Main road, it was surprisingly quiet.

travelbuff,

That's a good idea for another time. For now, the wife wants to see the Hamptons

Consider going past the Hamptons and go to Hither Hills State Park which has a great beach. They have a day lot. Same beach as the Hamptons really. Unless you just want to walk around in East Hampton or the like.

To follow up. I went early, arrived at 8:30 am and got a spot in one of the no-permit required lots. I actually got there earlier then necessary, as we were the one of the first few people on the beach for about an hour. It's a beautiful beach though, and I can see why it's ranked among the best. The following week, we tried Robert Moses Beach and walked to Fire Island, also very nice. Plan to try Hither Hills soon. Thanks for the tips.