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Green Places
in Long Island
Nassau County | Suffolk
County | 150 Miles of Long Island Greenbelt Trails
Nassau County
Bailey
Arboretum - Lattingtown - (572-0288) 42 acres of beauty,
featuring exotic trees, rare shrubs, a graceful iris garden, an exquisite
rose garden, a blanket of unusual plantings, a broad spectrum of chrysanthemums,
and a perennial garden of 150 to 500 labelled varieties. It also features
a unique Sensory Garden for the disabled and an interpretive nature
trail.
Cantiague (County)
Park - Hicksville - (571-7052) 84 acres for horseshoes,
bocci court, softball and soccer fields, handball, paddleball, basketball,
golf, outdoor pool, indoor ice rink, jogging course.
Cedar Creek (County)
Park - Seaford - (571-7473) 265 acres: Bicycle path,
aerodrome field (for radio-controlled model planes), archery, basketball,
handball, paddleball, tennis, soccer and softball fields, outdoor
rollerskating rink, jogging course.
Cow Meadow (County) Park and Preserve - Freeport -
(571-8685) 28 acres: Jogging course, salt water fishing, marina,
tennis, basketball courts, handball/paddleball, softball field,
shuffleboard.
Eisenhower
(County) Park - East Meadow - (572-0348) 930 acres:
Jogging path, bicycle paths, golf, driving range, baseball, softball,
football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, cricket, tennis, horseshoes,
shuffleboard, croquet, badminton, lawn bowling, bocci, model boating,
cross country skiing.
Garden City Bird Sanctuary
- Founded in 1995, it is a 9 acre nature preserve\bird sanctuary
in northwest Garden City, open to the public on Sundays from 1-5
or by arrangement. It is the pilot program in Nassau for dual use
of "sumps" for community benefit. Approx 100 nesting boxes,
3/4 miles of walking trails, relandscaping in progress with native
plants.
Grant (County) Park - Hewlett - (571-7820) 35 acres:
Outdoor roller skating, outdoor ice rink, horseshoes, shuffleboard,
basketball, tennis, handball, softball.
Hempstead Harbor (County) Park - Port Washington
- (571-7930) 60 acres for golf, volleyball, badminton, softball,
basketball, handball, paddleball, shuffleboard, aerodrome (for radio-controlled
model airplanes), salt water fishing, beach.
Hofstra
University Arboretum - Uniondale - (463-6600) This
238-acre campus was officially designated an arboretum by the American
Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta in 1985. At present,
there are over 7,000 evergreen and deciduous trees in the arboretum,
representing over 235 different species and varieties. The more
exotic trees on the campus include a metasequoia (rare on the East
Coast), the bald cypress (rare in the Northeast), and two very unique
varieties of pine: the Dragon Eye and the Tamyosho (both rare in
this area). Open year round.
Jones
Beach State Park - South of Wantagh - (785-1600)
2413 acres: Ballfields by permit, bicycle path, boat basin, saltwater
fishing piers, bait station, food service, pitch putt golf, hiking,
picnicking, pool, bathhouse, saltwater swimming.
Old Westbury Gardens
- Old Westbury - (333-0048) One of the few intact great Long
Island estates open to the general public. There are both informal
walks and highly stylized gardens on the 100 acres of manicured
grounds. The Italian Garden, for example, boasts the largest expanse
of herbacious borders in the United States and maintains the same
color scheme through the various cycles of bloom. Open April - December.
Planting
Fields State Historic Park - Oyster Bay - (922-9201)
Stunning 409 acre former estate on Long Island: 160 acres of gardens
and plant collections, 40 acres of lawns, and over 200 acres of
woodlands and fields. Two greenhouse complexes on 1.5 acres, with
native, tropical, and sub-tropical plants. Offering classes and
many special events. Open year round.
Theodore
Roosevelt Sanctuary - Oyster Bay - Oldest National Audubon
Society Bird Sanctuary offers a wide variety of nature programs.
On October 24th, the Sanctuary will be holding a gala celebration
in honor of its 75th anniversary.
Valley Stream State Park - Valley Stream - (825-4128)
97 acres: Ballfields, bicycle path, food service, hiking, picnicking,
cross-country skiing.
Wantagh
(County) Park - Wantagh - (571-7460) 120 acres: Outdoor
swimming pool, diving pool, basketball, bocci, shuffleboard, horseshoes,
marina, salt water fishing, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey,
football, bicycling.
Whitney Pond (County) Park - Manhasset - (571-8300)
15 acres to play basketball, tennis, handball, paddleball, outdoor
swimming pool, diving tank, jogging course.
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Suffolk County
Bayard
Cutting Arboretum - Oakdale - (581-1002) Wild flowers and
birds are featured throughout the 680 acres of grounds, particularly
along the Wild Flower Walks located in a setting of freshwater ponds
and tiny streamlets. Donated to the Long Island State Park Region
by Mrs. William Bayard Cutting and her daughter in the memory of William
Bayard Cutting "to provide an oasis of beauty and quiet for the pleasure,
rest, and refreshment of those who delight in outdoor beauty; and
to bring about a greater appreciation and understanding of the value
and importance of informal planting." Open year round.
Belmont Lake State Park - North Babylon - (667-5055)
459 acres of ballfields, bicycle path, rowboat rentals, bridal path,
freshwater fishing, food service, hiking, picnicking.
Blydenburgh County Park - Smithtown - (854-3713)
588 acres of hiking, picnicking, camping, freshwater fishing, rowboat
rentals.
Caleb Smith State Park - Smithtown - (265-1054) 543
acres for freshwater fishing, guided tours by reservation, hiking,
historic interest, cross-country skiing.
Captree State Park - South of West Islip - (669-0449)
298 acres: boat basin, open and charter fishing boats, saltwater
fishing piers, bait station, food service, picnicking.
Cathedral
Pines County Park - Middle Island - Hiking, camping,
mountain biking, bridle paths.
Caumsett
State Park - Huntington / Lloyd Neck - (423-1770) These
1500 acres offer salt-water fishing, nature photography, bird watching
and use of its many roads for horseback riding, walking, hiking,
biking, historic interest, cross-country skiing. Scheduled astronomical
observation area for AOSNY.
Connetquot
River State Park - Oakdale/Bohemia - (581-1005) 3473
acres: Bicycle path, bridal path, trout fishing, fish hatchery,
ponds and river; historic lodge and restored grist mill, pine barrens,
hiking, cross-country skiing. Take a 9.8 mile flat terrain hike
(round-trip) and see deer, swans, fox, osprey, heron, hawks, and
box turtles. Guided tours by reservation. Closed Tuesdays, October
through March; Mondays year-round. Call the Connetquot River State
Park Preserve for more information.
Fire Island National
Seashore - Patchogue - Several parts of Fire Island are
managed by the National Parks Service (289-4810). Located only one
hour east of New York City, this island retreat is a world apart
from the main island world. Fire Island stretches 32 miles from
Robert Moses State Park on the west to Smith Point Park on the east,
featuring the only federally declared Wilderness Area in New York
State. Between the two parks are 17 small but separate resort communities
used primarily for summer recreation. The two parks at each end
are accessible by car, the 17 communities in between are only accessible
by public ferry, private boat or by foot along the shoreline beach.
Robert
Moses State Park - Fire Island - (669-0449) 1000
acres: Ballfields, boat basin, saltwater fishing, bait station,
food service, pitch putt golf, picnicking, bathhouse, saltwater
swimming. Scheduled astronomical observation area for AOSNY.
Gardiner
County Park - West Bay Shore
- (631) 854-0935- Nature trails, hiking, jogging. in this 231
acre nature-oriented public park on the Great South Bay. Original
property of Suffolk's first non-native landowners; later became
part of the historic Sagtikos Manor Estate.
Heckscher
State Park - East Islip - (581-2100) 1657 Acres:
Ballfields, bicycle path, boating ramp, camping, saltwater fishing,
food service, hiking, picnicking, pool, bathhouse, saltwater swimming,
cross-country skiing.
Hither
Hills State Park - Montauk - (668-2461) 1,755 acre
state park offers walking dunes and "phantom forests"; pristine
beaches, cobbly shores, and an interior region of pine barrens,
dune heath, and maritime grassland. See endangered piping plover,
tern, and an oyster-catcher nest. From Amagansett, go 7.2 miles
east on NY27 and Old Montauk Highway, turn south to enter Hither
Hills State Park, a fee area. Ballfields, camping, saltwater fishing,
food service, hiking, picnicking, bathhouse, saltwater swimming.
Indian Island County Park - Riverhead - (852-3232)
287 acres for hiking, camping, picnicking, small zoo, golf.
Mashomack
Preserve - Shelter Island - 2,000 acre preserve of
the Nature Conservancy encompasses a maritime environment of tidal
creeks, woodlands, fields, swamps, freshwater ponds, and 10 miles
of stirring but inaccessbile coastline. An easy 12-mile round-trip
tour will introduce you to a natural osprey nesting colony, a rare
pine swamp, dogwood blooms, vista, and colorful fall foliage. Get
to Shelter Island by taking the LIRR to GreenPoint or SouthHaven.
It's a peaceful and quaint oasis similar to Martha's Vineyard, only
far less pretentious. Bike around the Island for a full day's experience.
Montauk County Park - Montauk - (852-7878) 1185 acres
for hiking, camping, picnicking saltwater fishing, canoeing, hunting,
horseback riding facility.
Montauk Point State Park - Montauk Point - (668-2461)
724 acres for saltwater fishing, food service, hiking, historic
interest, lighthouse, picnicking.
Peconic
River Herb Farm - Calverton - A working riverfront farm
located on 13 acres featuring over 700 varieties of unique plants
including herbs, heirloom vegetables, flowers, native Long Island
plants, ornamental grasses, clematis, aquatic plants, basketry willows,
Antique, Shrub and English Roses. With 22 different display and
trial gardens to wander through, the farm also offers a comprehensive
season-long schedule of workshops, walks, lectures, events and festivals.
Pine Barrens Preserve - South of Riverhead - These
2,056 acres feature classic pine barrens, wetlands, and kettle depressions.
The largest barren is located west of the highway (Route 104). A
loop trail explores each of the pine barren tracts. Discoveries
include the subtle changes in pine-oak mix, size, canopy, and tightness
of forest.
Pine
Barrens Trail Information Center - Manorville - This
newly renovated facility has been established to provide the public
with much-asked for Pine Barrens environmental interpretation.
Sears Bellows (County) Park - Hampton Bays - (852-8290)
693 acres for hiking, picnicking, camping, freshwater fishing, rowboat
rentals, hunting, horseback riding facility.
Shinnecock East State Park - Southampton - (852-8899)
89 acres for outerbeach camping for self-contained vehicles only;
salt-water fishing.
Smith Point County Park - Shirley - (852-1313) These
2295 acres compose Suffolk County's largest oceanfront park. Swimming,
surfing, saltwater fishing, camping.
Southaven
County Park - Yaphank - (854-1414) Hiking, camping, picnicking,
freshwater fishing, rowboat rentals, canoeing, hunting, bridle paths.
Southaven's 1,356 acres also support a trap and skeet shooting range,
equestrian center, bicycle hostel.
Sunken Meadow State Park - Kings Park - (269-4333)
1266 Acres of ballfields, bicycle path, bridal path, saltwater fishing,
food service, golf with pro shop, hiking, picnicking, bathhouse
and saltwater swimming, cross-country skiing, sled hills.
Water Mill Museum - Water Mill - (726-4625) Long
Island's oldest operating water mill dates back to 1644. The working
mill is run by a 12 foot undershot water wheel fed by seven nearby
ponds. The Museum features early grain grinding tools, colonial
crafts, special exhibits, art gallery and craft shop and is open
from Memorial Day to mid-September.
West
Hills County Park - Huntington - (854-4423) 854 acres
of picturesque, well-groomed nature trails, including the historic
Walt Whitman Trail to Jayne's Hill, wind through this popular, mixed-deciduous
forested park. Hiking, youth group camping, picnicking, horseback
riding facility.
Wildwood State Park - Wading River - (929-4314) 769
acres of ballfields, camping, trailer hookups, saltwater fishing,
food service, hiking, picnicking, bathhouse, saltwater swimming,
cross-country skiing in September. You can camp behind the dunes,
so close you can hear the waves crashing onto the beach while you
sleep.
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150 Miles Of Long Island Greenbelt
This information comes courtesy of the Long
Island Greenbelt Trail Conference, Inc.
This non-profit volunteer organization built and maintains these trails,
to protect LI's open spaces. They guide over 150 hikes annually. For
more information, call (516) 360-0753, or write to them at 23
Deer Path Road, Central Islip, NY 11722-3404.
Nassau-Suffolk Trail: From steep hills to old fields to
quiet wetlands, this 20-mile National Recreation Trail offers surprising
diversity. From Cold Spring Harbor, where mountain laurels bloom
in June, the trail crosses Long Island to Massapequa Preserve watershed,
where dozens of species of birds stop on their fall and spring migrations.
Paths for mountain bikers parallel parts of this trail, and a loop
in the Plainview area provides a connection with the Walt Whitman
Trail.
Walt Whitman Trail: Walk in the footsteps of the poet himself.
A network of linear and loop trails begins at the historic Whitman
Birthplace in South Huntington and winds through nearby West Hills
County Park. A popular 3.7-mile loop begins and ends at the Sweet
Hollow Road picnic area. Gaze as Whitman did on a view of the ocean
from the top of Jayne's Hill, the highest spot on Long Island. The
network connects with our Nassau-Suffolk Trail, making possible
walks in many combinations of length and difficulty. West Hills
is easily accessible from busy Route 110.
Long Island Greenbelt Trail: Follow the courses of the Nissequogue
and Connetquot rivers on all or part of a 32-mile adventure from
Long Island Sound to Great South Bay. Bluffs and beaches, ponds
and pines, history and diversity - this National Recreation Trail
has it all. Pass through spectacular Sunken Meadow, Caleb Smith,
Connetquot and Heckscher state parks, and traverse the Ronkonkoma
Moraine - and stop in to visit us in our office at Blydenburgh County
Park. Hikers have been enjoying this true cross-section of Long
Island since 1978.
Long Island Seashore Trail: New York State's only Federal
Wilderness Area beckons visitors to the barrier island of Fire Island
National Seashore. Drive to Smith Point in the "off season" or take
the summer ferry from Patchogue. Dayhike or backpack amid beach
plums, holly, pines and sassafras. (Trail is open but unblazed;
follow National Seashore maps. Limited wilderness camping administered
by F.I.N.S.)
Pine Barrens Trail: Leave suburbia behind and experience
the "other Long Island" by exploring the heart of the nation's second-largest
pine barrens. The 47-mile route from Rocky Point to Hampton Bays
traverses pristine woodlands and passes rare coastal plan ponds.
Opened in 1994, the Pine Barrens Trail offers unusual flora and
fauna, excellent vistas and wonderful aromas. Open all your senses
and reap the rewards of a "walk on the wild side."
The Paumanok Path: The Paumanok Path is destined to become
"Long Island's Appalachian Trail." An umbrella term for several
trails linked into one, the route includes the already-completed
Pine Barrens Trail, East Hampton's Northwest Path and Stephen Talkhouse
Path ,and shorter segments in Southampton. Join us as we finish
the Paumanok Path and create the ultimate Long Island hiking experience
- a 100-mile trail from Rocky Point to Montauk Point!
The Sierra Club is a nonprofit member-supported,
public interest organization that promotes conservation of the natural
environment by influencing public policy decisions -- legislative,
administrative, legal, and electoral.
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