Park Overview:

One of the crown jewels of the Long Island Greenbelt system.

Park Description:

Formerly a private club for the wealthy and powerful, this lightly used area is a classic pine barrens system, featuring a canopy of pitch pine and several varieties of oak. There is an understory of blueberry, huckleberry, sweet fern, and other plants adapted to the desert like, sandy outwash soil. The Connetquot River flows gently through the center of the park, affording opportunities to observe ospreys, herons, egrets, kingfishers and a host of other species.

Near the entrance is a grist mill from the early 1700s and the large Sportsmen's Club, parts of which were built in the early 1800s. A mile north a trout hatchery built over a century ago is still in operation.

You may be asked to complete a permit form (free) when you arrive at the gate.

The park is open Wednesday to Sunday.  On Mondays and Tuesdays the parking lot and buildings are closed.  On these days it is possible (and permissible) to access the grounds from adjoining trails and greenways.  It is safest to call to verify the park is open.

Trails Overview:

The park's 21-mile formal network of blazed trails makes possible a variety of loop walks that take in both sides of the river and can last the better part of a day.  

In addition there are another nearly two dozen unmarked sandroads, bridle paths and informal paths within the park, some with colorful names such as "Poacher's Path Ext" and "Mud Hole Road."  They increase the total number of trail miles to 50, but many may be difficult to navigate.

Use the Web Map link on this site to view the entire network.  Click for a detailed description of a hike along the L.I. Greenbelt that includes this state park preserve.

Park Acreage:

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