Hell Gate, shown in red, in a satellite photo of New York Harbor. It separates Ward's Island (to the west) and Astoria, Queens (to the east)

Hell Gate is a narrow tidal channel in the East River in New York City in the United States. It separates Ward's Island and Astoria, Queens.

It was spanned in 1917 by the New York Connecting Railroad Bridge (now called the Hell Gate Bridge), which connects the Bronx and Queens. The bridge provides a direct rail link between New England and New York City. In 1936 it was spanned by the Triborough Bridge, allowing vehicular traffic to pass between Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens.

The name "Hell Gate" is a corruption of the Dutch phrase Hellegat (hell hole). For much of its history, navigation in the strait was extremely hazardous because of underwater rocks and swift tides.

The strait was described in the journals of Dutch explorer Adriaen Block, who is the first European known to have navigated the straits, during his 1614 voyage.

By the late 19th century, hundreds of ships had sunk in the strait. In 1876, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers blasted the dangerous rocks. Later the channel was widened and deepened, but it is still considered difficult to navigate due to strong tidal flows and heavy commercial river traffic.

See also: Little Hell Gate