The Meat Rack

The Meat Rack is the wooded stretch of maritime forest and dunes between Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines, officially the Carrington Tract and crossed by the Judy Garland Memorial Pathway. For generations — the tradition dates to the 1950s, well before Stonewall — it has been Fire Island's best-known gay cruising ground, a discreet meeting place linking the two communities on a roughly 15-minute walk. The land is part of the federally managed Fire Island National Seashore. Since 2016 the National Park Service has posted "Clothing Required" signs bookending the tract, and rangers may patrol, though enforcement has generally been light and does not extend to the areas directly in front of the two communities. Visitors should remember this is public parkland: stick to the paths, respect others' privacy, carry a flashlight after dark, and mind the uneven, sandy terrain. Activity is always at your own discretion and risk.