A slew of local beaches and state parks were forced to shut as early as around 9:30 a.m. Sunday because they had already reached capacity amid the blazing heat and coronavirus social-distancing rules.

Orient Beach State Park will reopen Saturday after the state hurried to repair superstorm Sandy damage to the popular North Fork beach before the summer rush, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Thursday.

It’s lighthouse-hunting season on Long Island, and you can launch into this increasingly popular hobby at one of the Island’s most remote and scenic recreational areas: Orient Beach State Park near ...