Orchard Beach

Orchard Beach is the Bronx's only public beach, a 1.1-mile crescent of sand on Long Island Sound built in the 1930s inside Pelham Bay Park. You are swimming in Sound water rather than open ocean, with changing areas, showers and a wide promenade behind the beach. After heavy rain, check NYC Health advisories before swimming, since combined sewer overflows can affect the water.

Directions

Photo: Bebo2good1 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Get your personalized SwimScore

Latest reading · SwimScore 74/100 (Good swim) for a typical swimmer: air 19°C, wind 35 km/h, waves 0.6 m, UV 2. Updated 23 Sept, 22:00 UTC.

Know before you go

Getting in: Free public NYC Parks beach on Long Island Sound in Pelham Bay Park.
Parking & transport: Beach-season parking is $10 on weekdays and $12 on weekends and holidays for cars. The Bx12 bus serves the beach on summer weekends, the Bx29 runs nearby year-round, and the 6 train's Pelham Bay Park station is across the Hutchinson River.
Lifeguards: Lifeguards on duty daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during beach season; swimming is prohibited when they are off duty and in sections closed with signs or red flags.
Water quality: NYC Health samples the beach for enterococci and issues a 24-hour preemptive advisory when more than 2.5 inches of rain falls within 24 hours, because of combined sewer overflows.
Season: NYC Parks beach season runs Memorial Day weekend through September 13, 2026.
Facilities: Hexagonal-block promenade and central pavilion · Changing areas and showers · Snack bars · Two playgrounds and two picnic areas with barbecuing · Beach mats and reservable beach wheelchairs

Sources: nycgovparks.org, nycgovparks.org, nyc.gov, en.wikipedia.org