Nature Preserves
The hectic pace of life on Long Island can make anyone yearn for a walk in the woods. Sanctuaries and preserves across the Island offer a chance to step back, see wildlife in a natural habitat and enjoy some peace and quiet.
Here are some best bets:
Massapequa Preserve in Massapequa Park offers free admission, year-round. It's home to the largest fresh-water wetlands in a Nassau park, and the largest pine barrens tract in Nassau County. It has 5 miles of Greenbelt hiking trail, and and 4 1/2 miles of Bethpage bikeway run through the park.
Sands Point Preserve in Sands Point is open all year, and a $2 charge is collected on weekends. It features 216 acres of natural and landscaped grounds in the heart of the Gold Coast. The former estate of railroad tycoon Jay Gould's son Howard, it has three mansions: Castlegould, Hempstead House and Falaise. Tours of Falaise are Thursday-Sunday available from May 27 through the end of October. An exhibit "Battle of the Dinosaurs" will be at the preserve from May 27-Nov. 4, making it a great outing for families.
Caleb Smith State Park Preserve in Smithtown offers year-round fun, with hiking trails, a nature museum, flyfishing and cross-country skiing. Its 543 acres are comprised of freshwater wetlands, ponds, streams, fields and woods, right off the busiest of Long Island roadways: Jericho Turnpike.
The Elizabeth A. Morton refuge on Noyack Road in Noyack has a nature trail that passes through forest to the beach. Since it became a preserve in 1954, feeding the unusually tame chickadees at the 187-acre refuge has become a treasured, if somewhat controversial, tradition. While not officially sanctioned, it is unofficially tolerated. (Unsalted, unshelled sunflower seeds are the recommended fare, but even these may ot attrct large flocks in summer, when the birds are busy catching more nutritious insects.)
Otis Pike Preserve and Peconic Headwaters Natural Resources Management Area. The name is a mouthful, and the park is equally large: 4,500 acres of forest, fields, wetlands and small ponds. The Peconic River runs through the preserve, making it a great spot for bird-watching, fishing and canoeing. It's also a popular spot for hunting from October to March.
Nassau County Parks | Suffolk County Parks
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