Dunewood : Fire Islands Hidden Gem
Dunewood is a quiet, well kept community on Fire Island, known for its close knit feel. If you’re thinking about renting or buying here, here’s what you should know.
The beach
Dunewood’s beach is lightly populated and mostly used by homeowners and their guests. Since Dunewood has no businesses of its own, it doesn’t draw day trippers, so the beach stays quiet and the crowd is mostly people who know each other. It’s a great spot to swim, sunbathe, or surf when the waves are up.
The bay beach is one of the best on Fire Island. It’s lifeguarded and popular with serious swimmers doing open water distances, along with kayakers and paddleboarders. It’s also just a nice place to sit and take in the view.
Tennis and sailing
Dunewood has two tennis courts for homeowners and their guests, with an annual tournament, doubles in the morning and singles on a first come, first served basis.
The Dunewood Yacht Club runs a strong sailing program, with races throughout the summer and a youth sailing fleet that’s produced some talented young sailors over the years.
The houses
Dunewood is the only planned community on Fire Island. It was founded in 1958 by Maurice Barbash and Irwin Chess, who built 99 nearly identical homes on land that had been used as a dumping ground. Barbash, who went on to become a leading environmental activist and later helped stop Robert Moses’s plan to build a highway across Fire Island, designed Dunewood with clustered houses and rotated lots to preserve green space and give every home more privacy and better sun exposure. He owned a house in Dunewood himself.
The original homes have high cathedral ceilings, walls of windows, and open kitchen to living room layouts. Very few original Dunewood stock houses remain unchanged. Most homeowners have renovated or rebuilt over the decades, so today you’ll find everything from classic Dunewood homes to fully modern rebuilds.
Why values hold up
Dunewood’s no share bylaw, meaning homeowners don’t rent by the room to groups of unrelated tenants, has kept the community quiet and the beach clean. Families tend to stay for generations, which gives Dunewood a strong sense of continuity that’s hard to find elsewhere on the island.
Getting there
Dunewood has its own ferry dock, with service from Bay Shore. No cars are allowed on Fire Island, so pack light. Most restaurants and shops are a short walk or bike ride away in Fair Harbor, and Saltaire and Kismet aren’t far either. You can have almost anything delivered by ferry any day except Sunday.
Best time to visit
July and August are peak season, and for good reason, the weather is at its best and the island is at its liveliest. But June and September are underrated, the beach is quieter, the weather is great. September is our personal favorite, the water is often at its warmest all year and the crowds have thinned out considerably.