National Monument · New York

Governors Island National Monument

From 1794 to 1966, the U.S. Army presence on Governors Island played a vital role in the social, political, and economic life of New York City. The island then served as the headquarters of the U.S. Coast Guard from 1966 to 1996, continuing its legacy of national service. Today, Governors Island has transformed into a destination for art, culture, and public programs.

About under an hour from New York and 2 hours from Philadelphia by car.

Free to enter Closed today Cashless park

Photos: National Park Service

1alert
active

Fort Jay front gate only — Temporary Closure.

All 1 alert ↓

Alerts

Information
Fort Jay front gate only — Temporary Closure.
The FRONT GATE of Fort Jay is temporarily closed to all. The fort is currently open to visitation Wednesday thru Sunday 10am to 4pm. Access to the fort will be via the western or rear sallyport.

Fees & passes

Free. No entrance fee here.

From the park

Parking: The National Park Service does not charge a fee to visit Governors Island, but the island is only accessible by ferry.

Hours

Fort Jay Winter	Daily · Closed
Fort Jay	Varies by day ▾ monday Closed tuesday Closed wednesday 10:00AM - 4:00PM thursday 10:00AM - 4:00PM friday 10:00AM - 4:00PM saturday 10:00AM - 4:00PM sunday 10:00AM - 4:00PM
Castle Williams winter	Daily · Closed
Castle Williams	Varies by day ▾ monday Closed tuesday Closed wednesday 10:00AM - 4:00PM thursday 10:00AM - 4:00PM friday 10:00AM - 4:00PM saturday 10:00AM - 4:00PM sunday 10:00AM - 4:00PM

Fort Jay: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.

Dates	Hours
Standard hoursNow	sun 10:00AM - 4:00PM mon Closed tue Closed wed 10:00AM - 4:00PM thu 10:00AM - 4:00PM fri 10:00AM - 4:00PM sat 10:00AM - 4:00PM
Dec 1, 2026 to Apr 12, 2027Fort Jay Winter schedule	Closed

Castle Williams: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.

Dates	Hours
Standard hoursNow	sun 10:00AM - 4:00PM mon Closed tue Closed wed 10:00AM - 4:00PM thu 10:00AM - 4:00PM fri 10:00AM - 4:00PM sat 10:00AM - 4:00PM
Dec 12, 2026 to Apr 12, 2027Winter Hours	sun 10:30AM - 4:00PM mon Closed tue Closed wed 10:30AM - 4:00PM thu 10:30AM - 4:00PM fri 10:30AM - 4:00PM sat 10:30AM - 4:00PM

When to go

Month by month, 1979 to 2025 →

July draws the most visits here and December the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.

Bars are the average recreation visits in each month over 2021 to 2025. The line is the average temperature at New York Cntrl Pk Twr, 7 miles from the park's reference point at 130 feet, station USW00094728 in the NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals. The lower panel is monthly rain and snow from the same station, also 1991 to 2020 averages.

See every month and year since 1979.

Limited data for this unit

No campgrounds, no webcams or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.

Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.

At a glance

States: New York
Designation: National Monument
Coordinates: 40.6916° N, 74.0167° W
Visitors (2025): 52,200
Phone: (212) 210-6866

Cell signal

Verizon: 5G
AT&T: 5G (fast)
T-Mobile: 5G (fast)

Outdoor coverage as modeled by carriers in FCC filings as of 2025-12-31, at the park's reference point and its campgrounds. Terrain and trees change everything. This product uses FCC APIs and/or Data but is not endorsed or certified by the FCC.

Official links

All 9 links

Sister site

Campsite Atlas

Every campground on federal land, whether it takes reservations or is first come.

Open Campsite Atlas →

Sister site

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness

Every national wildlife refuge, wilderness area, national forest and BLM monument.

Open Wilderness Atlas →

Built from official data and refreshed daily. This site is independent and is not affiliated with the National Park Service. Confirm anything critical on the official park page before you travel. How the data is built

Explore

Things to do

Fort Jay self Guided Walk30 Minutes
A self-guided walking tours of one of the oldest Forts on Governors Island, open Mid-April until November, Fort Jay is closed in winter
Opens on the Park Service site

News

National Park Service Selects Amy Sebring to Lead Manhattan Sites ↗2026-06-10
The National Park Service has selected Amy Sebring as the next superintendent of Manhattan Sites, a collection of nine national parks related to the American journey.

Map

Interactive map by the National Park Service

Historic landmarks nearby

All New York landmarks on Register Atlas →

National Historic Landmark · 1 mi

Ambrose (lightship)

New YorkOpen to visit

National Historic Landmark · 1 mi

Lettie G. Howard (schooner)

New YorkOpen to visit

National Historic Landmark · 2 mi

101 Spring Street

New York

National Historic Landmark · 5 mi

USS Edson (DD-946)

New YorkOpen to visit

Public land nearby

All of it on Wilderness Atlas →

Wilderness · 21.8 mi

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness

FWS3,660 acres

National Wildlife Refuge · 22.2 mi

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

FWS7,858 acres

National Wildlife Refuge · 29.1 mi

Congressman Lester Wolff Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge

FWS3,382 acres

National Wildlife Refuge · 34.3 mi

Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge

FWS78 acres

Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.

Guidebooks for the Mid-Atlantic

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Best Hikes of the Appalachian Trail
Matt Willen, 2016
Find at Bookshop.org
Rail-trails mid-Atlantic
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2015
Find at Bookshop.org
Scenic Routes and Byways Middle Atlantic
Randi Minetor and Nic Minetor, 2015
Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.

Reference

Activities

Biking Road Biking Dining Picnicking Guided Tours Junior Ranger Program Museum Exhibits Shopping

Weather & climate

During the summer public access season from May to September, the weather is typical of the mid-Atlantic region. Thunderstorms can come quickly with short downpours. There may be extended periods of heat or humidity that might last a week or more. The island is generally a few degrees cooler than the city due to the fairly constant breeze.

Questions people ask

Does Governors Island charge an entrance fee?

No. Governors Island is free to enter.

Source: National Park Service

What are the hours at Governors Island?

Standard hours are Closed, every day.

Source: National Park Service

Is anything closed at Governors Island right now?

1 active alert as of October 14, 2026: Fort Jay front gate only — Temporary Closure.

Source: Alerts

How busy is Governors Island?

52,200 recreation visits in 2025, number 259 of 387 units that report visitation.

Source: Most visited parks

Is there cell service at Governors Island?

At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

What is the weather like at Governors Island?

During the summer public access season from May to September, the weather is typical of the mid-Atlantic region. Thunderstorms can come quickly with short downpours.

Source: Weather & climate

Follow this park

Alerts feed (RSS): Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
Add dates to your calendar (.ics file): Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.