As a lover of nature, sightseeing, and hiking, I enjoy exploring the parks and beaches on Long Island during the summer. This week, I visited all the state parks in the Great South Bay area. As a lifelong Bay Shore resident, I’ve been to most of them at least once, but I set aside time to explore and appreciate the natural environment and amenities near my hometown.
Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park
This was the first park I visited, and it closes the earliest in the day. Located on Montauk Highway in Great River, the Bayard Cutting Arboretum overlooks the Connetquot River as it empties into the Great South Bay. Unlike most other state parks, it isn’t a typical “park.” On the grounds of the historic Westbrook Estate, the Arboretum is more like a series of gardens surrounding a manor. From the Holly Walk to the Oak Park to the Dahlia Garden, there are a variety of flowers and trees to see. I visited the European Weeping Beech Tree, a tree so large it creates a full canopy around itself, with a small path beneath. Afterward, I went inside the manor, where there is a gift shop and the Hidden Oak Cafe. On the way out, I also stopped by the Visitor’s Center, which had an interactive educational display where I learned about the different types of trees in the park.
Heckscher State Park
Located in East Islip on the Great South Bay, it’s the perfect spot for swimming, boating, picnicking, and camping. Heckscher State Park is where I first learned to drive, so I took another ride around the circular road surrounding the park and stopped at the different fields. There are four beach fields and four fields for land activities, including playgrounds, picnic areas, and a trailer park. There are also several trails for biking and hiking, as well as paths suitable for dog walking.
Located in Oakdale, it is the largest state park on Long Island, and there is plenty of walking. This park is a nature preserve made up mostly of woodland areas surrounding the Connetquot River, perfect for hiking, fishing, and horseback riding. There are many historical and environmental educational exhibits throughout the park. I walked along the trails to the Connetquot Hatchery, a fish hatchery where trout are raised to repopulate the river with disease-free fish. The site included an indoor exhibit where viewers could learn about trout and watch the hatchlings from the window, as well as outdoor ponds where the older fish live.
Belmont Lake State Park
Located in West Babylon, Belmont Lake State Park is part of a series of parks that follow Carlls Creek from Belmont Lake to the Great South Bay. Swimming is not allowed on the lake, but it is a great spot for fishing and kayaking. The park offers kayak and pedal-boat rentals for exploring the lake. I arrived too late in the day to rent one of the sparkly boats, but there was plenty to do on land. There are picnic areas and hiking and biking trails around the lake and across the park, as well as trails for leashed dogs. I visited the Belmont Cannons on the trail around the lake, a pair of historic cannons captured from a British warship during the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813.
Captree State Park
Then I headed south toward the barrier islands. I’d only been to Captree once before, in high school, at night to map the stars for an astronomy project. It was my first time seeing the park in daylight, and I got to explore more of it. Located on Captree Island, the park is all beach and boardwalk. On the south side, it offers a great view of Fire Island, and on the north side, there’s a marina with boating and fishing, a bait and tackle shop, and Tiki Joe’s Captain’s Table Restaurant. The restaurant featured live music, and the boardwalk was bustling, with plenty of places to sit and watch the sunset.
Robert Moses State Park
Formerly known as Fire Island State Park, it’s the oldest state park on Long Island. While the park’s biggest attraction is its five fields of beautiful, sandy beaches overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, there are still things to do if you don’t like to get your feet wet, like me. There are hiking trails around the western end, and golf and volleyball at Field 2. I walked past Field 5 into the Fire Island National Seashore, a national park that preserves the rest of Fire Island from Field 5 to the end of the island at the Moriches Inlet. This is where the famous Fire Island Lighthouse is located, less than a mile from Robert Moses. Tours of the lighthouse run year-round, and you can even see the New York City skyline from the top.
