Montauk will always be my favorite spot on Long Island, NY to travel to. Affectionately nicknamed “The End”, it is the farthest point east you can travel in all of New York State. While it is a bit of a drive (about 3 hrs from NYC free and clear of traffic) it has always been worth it, in my opinion. When we almost reached our destination, we realized that the stretch of road we were on was surrounded on both sides by water. So we pulled off to the side of the road to do some exploring. After checking to make sure that we were not on private property, we made our way down a sandy path towards the ocean. It was such a beautiful spot and I think I’ve taken some of my favorite photos there. I almost didn’t want to leave but I knew I wanted to get to the lighthouse before it closed, so we headed off.

Now usually I come to the state park to walk on the shore line and just enjoy being out there, but this time I took the opportunity to do the Lighthouse tour. When you purchase your ticket, you get to walk up to the top of the lighthouse as well as walk around and see the museum that is set up at the base of the lighthouse. The museum was quite interesting. They had a model scale of Long Island with a light up switchboard that showed you where every lighthouse on Long Island was located. They also had a couple model scales of the lighthouse over the years and how it and its’ surrounding area has changed. All in all, it was worth taking a look at. After walking around, we turned in our ticket and climbed to the top of the lighthouse. Once at the top, we got to see a one of a kind panoramic view, which again was beautiful.

Before leaving we stopped at Camp Hero, where you can park your car and take a walk around the bluffs. I remember the first time I ever came to this spot, I couldn’t get enough. As someone who dreams of going to the Cliffs of Moher, in Ireland, this spot is as close as I’ll get for now. There’s a path to the left of the parking lot that gives a nice view of the lighthouse and the beach below.

With only a few hours of light left we drove to back to the town to grab some food and snacks before the long drive back. I’ve discovered that even though Montauk is my favorite spot year round, its something special in the colder months.