Views and Brews - Long Island

[Tom Rankin]

Laurie and I are planning a weekend on Long Island some time this year. If anyone wants to start some 'trip planning' here, that would be great. We still have quite a few weekends open this year.

To that end, would anyone who lives on or frequents Long Island care to comment on my choices of walks/hikes on Long Island? See:

http://viewsandbrews.com/hblist.html

for the list. We'd like to visit any of these kinds of places:

Lighthouses/Fire towers - Views!
Beaches - Easy enough on L.I., but what are your favorites ?
Historic sites
Wildlife sanctuaries​

Remember, elevation gain is not the goal here, just nice places to get some exercise.

Speaking of elevation gain, years ago, I had a flat tire on my bike, going down a large hill somewhere out in the Hamptons, at about 40 mph! Fortunately, I was able to stop the bike w/o any mishaps.

 

[sp1936]

I posted this once before, but here's my list of top ten Long Island hikes. Hope it helps:

1. Mashomack Preserve , Shelter Island: The big blue loop. Bring wine and sandwiches, have lunch at the triangle, and imagine that a time machine has transported you back to the time when Captain Kidd buried his treasure somewhere in this area.
   
2. Connetquot State Park Preserve : Start at Veterans Memorial Hwy. Blue trail to red trail to Greenbelt Trail. Add in Lakeland County Park if you want more mileage. Permit required.
   
3. Ditch Plains to the Point, Montauk: Find the singing stones.
   
4. Otis Pike High Dunes Wilderness , Fire Island: Seven miles of the best beach in the world. Or rough it in the swale with the ticks. You can even camp here, with a permit.
   
5. Sunken Meadow State Park : Walk the beach to Kings Park, then follow the white blazes to the country club. On the way back, follow the Greenbelt and go up above the beach you started on.
   
6. Blydenburgh County Park : Start at either end and take the blue loop around the lake.
   
7. David Weld Preserve and Short Beach: Erratics, kettle holes, and brisk north shore winds.
   
8. Robert Moses State Park : Walk to Democrat Point and/or to Kismet, with lunch at The Out (better than The Inn). Return on the boardwalks past the lighthouse.
   
9. Walking Dunes, Hither Woods, etc., Montauk: Wander for hours on another planet.
   
10. Sears Bellows County Park : Take the big loop around both lakes. Wear boots, it’s muddy.

 

[likeitsteep]

hey tom. long island is my old stomping ground as i grew up there and spent most of my life there. lots of beautiful places to do hikes. of course elevation is not an option as you already pointed out. length is also often difficult to find, given the limited real estate on long island. long island hiking is very similar to cape cod hiking if you've ever done that. some noteable places to see/hike would include:

-sunken meadow state park (this is often the site of high school cross country meets, so the terrain is often consistent with this type of event)
http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=44

-montauk state park (this is probably where you hit 40mph because it's about the only place out there where you could do that. i've biked extensively out there over the years and that is the one place where you find some rolling hills. beautiful! great lighthouse as well.
http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=136

-wildwood state park
http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=52

-bayard cutting arboretum
http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=43

some nice beaches include:

-west meadow beach in setauket (north shore)
-cedar beach/mt.sinai harbor (north shore)
-stony brook beach (north shore)
-just about any beach on the south shore east of center moriches

have a great time.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Wow, thanks for all the great info! Now I've got to do some work!