It provides recreational opportunities that are not commonly found in a dense urban environment, including ocean swimming, bird watching, boating, hiking and camping.

Gateway was created by the U.S. Congress in 1972[4] to preserve and protect scarce or unique natural, cultural, and recreational resources with relatively convenient access by a high percentage of the nation's population.

Gateway is distinct from other national park units due to its lack of natural buffer zones and that it faces constant environmental changes driven by human activity.

[6] In 1969, the Regional Plan Association proposed a new national seashore in the New York metropolitan area, to be administered by the United States Department of the Interior.

[7] U.S. President Richard Nixon put his support behind a very similar proposal in 1970, with one significant change: instead of being designated a "seashore", the protected area would be a national park.

Both islands are no longer publicly accessible, and now serve primarily as nesting sites for a variety of bird species.

At the northern end of the unit lies the Fort Hancock complex, with hiking trails that wind through dunes, ponds, and some of the most valuable bird habitats in New Jersey.