Long Island runs 118 miles from Manhattan to its eastern tip, where Montauk Point juts into the Atlantic like a finger pointing toward Europe. George Washington authorized the lighthouse here in 1792; it was completed in 1796, the fourth oldest active lighthouse in the United States. The light still flashes every five seconds, guiding vessels past the treacherous shoals that extend from the point. Montauk itself remains different from the Hamptons to the west - a working fishing village where commercial boats still bring catches to dock, where surfers compete for waves, and where the end-of-the-road feeling persists despite the tourists who discover that even Long Island has an ending.
George Washington understood that the new nation needed navigation aids; the waters around Montauk Point had claimed ships for centuries. The lighthouse was designed to stand 297 feet from the bluff's edge, with the expectation that erosion would eventually claim it. Two centuries later, erosion has brought the sea within 100 feet; the Army Corps of Engineers has installed revetments that slow but cannot stop the ocean's advance. The tower rises 110 feet; the light is visible 19 miles at sea. Climbing the iron spiral staircase remains a pilgrimage for visitors; the museum at the base interprets centuries of maritime history. The lighthouse has become Long Island's symbol, the fixed point at land's end.
Montauk is still a fishing village, though tourism now exceeds commercial fishing in economic importance. The commercial fleet operates from Montauk Harbor, bringing tuna, swordfish, and fluke to dock for distribution throughout the region. Sportfishing charters promise striped bass, bluefish, and shark. The Viking Fleet offers party boats and whale watching. The docks retain their working character even as restaurants and bars have multiplied around them. The smell of fish persists; the boats return daily; the tradition that predates tourism continues alongside it. Montauk's fishing identity provides authenticity that the Hamptons' calculated elegance lacks.
Ditch Plains Beach offers some of the best surfing on the East Coast, consistent swells generated by Atlantic storms wrapping around the point. The break is known for hollow waves and competitive locals; surf culture here is genuine rather than imported. Fall brings the best conditions - hurricane swells arriving as summer crowds depart. The beach is accessible to the public, though parking fills early on good days. The surfers provide Montauk's alternative identity - neither fishing village nor Hamptons retreat, but coastal community where the ocean is purpose, not backdrop.
Montauk Point is the psychological end of Long Island, though the actual easternmost point is slightly north at Turtle Hill. The feeling of ending persists: the bluffs drop to the Atlantic, the lighthouse guards the passage, and the ocean stretches uninterrupted to Europe. Camp Hero State Park occupies former military land at the point, its radar tower visible from the lighthouse. Conspiracy theories about the 'Montauk Project' claim time travel experiments occurred here; the theories are nonsense, but the isolated atmosphere makes them plausible. The end of the land creates space for imagination; what lies beyond the water can be anything.
Montauk is located at the eastern tip of Long Island, accessible via the Long Island Rail Road from Manhattan (3+ hours) or by car (2-3 hours, more in summer traffic). The lighthouse is a state park; admission covers museum access and tower climb. Ditch Plains Beach is public; parking is limited. The village offers restaurants, bars, and accommodation ranging from motels to boutique hotels. Summer weekends are crowded; fall and spring offer better conditions. Whale watching operates seasonally. Surfing requires experience; the break is not for beginners. The experience combines maritime history, natural beauty, and the particular satisfaction of reaching land's end - the point where Long Island finally stops and the Atlantic takes over.
Located at 41.07°N, 71.86°W at the eastern tip of Long Island, New York. From altitude, Montauk Point appears as the narrow terminus of the island, the lighthouse visible as a small structure at the bluff's edge. The South Fork stretches west toward the Hamptons; Block Island lies offshore to the northeast. Montauk Harbor cuts into the peninsula, fishing boats visible at dock. Ditch Plains' beach curves to the west. The radar tower at Camp Hero provides another landmark. Long Island Sound extends to the north; the Atlantic spreads east and south. What appears from altitude as the tapered end of the island is where land finally stops - the lighthouse Washington authorized still flashing, the fishing boats still sailing, the ocean still claiming the bluff one storm at a time.