A nationally recognized team of lifeguards makes Smith Point its home base, providing ocean visitors with safety protection.

All beach-goers are advised to respect the protective fencing that marks nest sites of endangered shorebirds inhabiting the ocean and bay beaches.

Suffolk Transit's 7E route served the beach on a seasonal basis, connecting it with the Mastic–Shirley Long Island Rail Road station on the Montauk Branch, until it was discontinued in October 2016.

The Fire Island Wilderness Visitor Center is located at the southernmost end of William Floyd Parkway, adjacent to Smith Point County Park.

On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747-131 en route from New York City to Paris, France and Rome, Italy, crashed at sea 14 miles (23 km) away from the park; all passengers and crew were killed.

[1] High tides and storm surge associated with Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 caused several new inlets to form within and near Smith Point County Park.

The third breach at Old Inlet remained open while National Park Service officials debated whether to tamper with an event inside a wilderness area.