16. Cathedral Pines County Park
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (631) 852-5500
Description: This park is mainly a campground and nature preserve. It’s composed of 320 acres, the majority of which remain totally undeveloped and all natural. Hiking, mountain biking, and picnicking are the main activities here. This park is known for its campground, which includes 10 sites with water and electric hookups for RVs. Adjacent to this park is the Prosser Pines Nature Preserve. Here you’ll discover hundreds of white pine trees that were planted in 1812. Both the park and the nature preserve offer gorgeous scenery that is appealing to amateur and professional photographers alike, not to mention hikers.
17. Cedar Point County Park
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (631) 852-7620
Description: This lovely 607-acre park offers fishing, hiking, a picnic area, camping, a children’s playground, rowboat rentals, bike trails, hunting, scuba diving, and outer beach access. Within the park you’ll find the historic Cedar Point Lighthouse, which was built in 1860. It was used to help guide ships in and out of Sag Harbor, when this was a major shipping port. Thanks to the hurricane of 1938, it’s now possible to walk to this lighthouse, which used to be situated on a small island. This is a popular park for camping and picnicking, plus there’s a beach. The Cedar Point General Store and a snack shop can also be found here (631-324-7147). During the summer, free Sat-night movies are presented in the park.
18. Cupsgoue Beach County Park
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (631) 852-8111
Description: This is a 296-acre park with a beautiful barrier beach. Activities offered here include swimming, fishing, scuba diving, camping, and outer beach access. Beach facilities include restrooms and showers. During the peak summer months, you’ll find a lifeguard on duty along the white sandy beach area. There’s also a seasonal food concession stand, along with a separate area for RV parking and camping.
19. Dwarf Pines Planes Preserve
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Parks & Recreation
Description: This park is known for its unique ecosystem. Guided tours and walking trails are pretty much all that’s offered here, although the scenery is stunningly beautiful, especially in the spring, summer, and fall foliage months. The newly constructed walking trail designed to expose visitors to the ecosystem that thrives here is just under 1 mile long and takes about 20 minutes to walk. On the trail you’ll encounter rare birds and wildlife, including the black-throated green warbler, American kestrels, and marsh hawks. Several species of owls can also be found here, but they’re nocturnal, so they’re more apt to be seen at night.
20. Gardiner County Park
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (631) 854-0935
Description: The property this park is situated on was originally owned by the Gardiner family. It later became part of the historic Sagtikos Manor Estate. The park encompasses about 231 acres and is mainly used for hiking along the beautiful nature trails. While much of the park remains totally undeveloped, there are public restrooms here, along with clearly defined hiking trails and a separate fitness trail. The park’s main entrance is located south of Montauk Hwy. (Rte. 27A), about a half mile east of the Robert Moses Causeway.
21. Indian Island County Park
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (631) 852-3232
Description: At this 275-acre park, year-round camping is offered, along with hiking trails, a picnic area, fishing, an athletic field, and a children’s playground. This beautiful park is located at the mouth of the Peconic River. It’s open year-round and is a popular site for camping. Both tents and RVs can be accommodated here. Restrooms and shower facilities are available.
22. Lake Ronkonkoma County Park
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (631) 854-9699
Description: What you’ll find at this beautiful park is a fishing pier, baseball field, several handball and basketball courts, and a picnic area. The fishing pier, which offers a lovely view, is fully wheelchair accessible and is the main attraction at this relatively small park.
23. Lakeland County Park
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (631) 853-2727
Description: Nature trails are the main attraction of this park, which also offers basketball courts and a picnic area with a gazebo. People also come here for the fishing. If you’re interesting in exploring nature but don’t want to get your shoes dirty, this park is equipped with extended boardwalks that allow visitors to explore the wetland areas and tropical vegetation. These boardwalks are fully wheelchair accessible.
24. Maschutt Beach County Park
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (631) 852-8205
Description: This park features swimming, camping, a children’s playground, a nice picnic area, and a seasonal food concession with a dining area called the Beach Hut (631-728-2988, www.thebeachhuts.com). Public restrooms and showers are available. During the summer a variety of special events are regularly held here. Located on Great Peconic Bay, on the east side of the Shinnecock Canal, this is a popular spot for people who want to enjoy a day at the beach. Windsurfing and sailing are also popular activities in the area. The park’s campground can accommodate tents, self-contained trailers, and campers.
25. Pine Barrens Trails
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (631) 852-3449
Description: In addition to a visitor information center, this park features hiking trails, a seasonal children’s museum, and a seasonal environmental education center. The centerpiece of the park and its main attraction are the Pine Barrens. There’s a three-quarter-mile long, fully wheelchair-accessible boardwalk here, which allows visitors to see a sampling of the flora and fauna. The Pine Barrens Trail Information Center is open Fri through Mon, between May and Oct.
26. Raynor Beach County Park
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (631) 854-9168
Description: In terms of county parks in the area, this one offers a nice assortment of activities, including two children’s playgrounds; several basketball, tennis, and handball courts; a soccer field and baseball field; a spacious picnic area; and a variety of walking/hiking/jogging trails.
27. Robert Cushman Murphy County Park
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Parks & Recreation
Description: Bird-watchers and hikers are among the people who really enjoy this park, which also offers fishing, boating, hunting, and a biological research center, in addition to its 60-acre pond. What you’ll find within this park is what naturalists refer to as a “rare coastal plain pond shore habitat.” Here you’ll find a wide range of fish and wildlife, including largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill, bullhead catfish, and pumpkinseed sunfish. To fish in Swan Pond, you must have a New York State fishing license.
28. Sears Bellows County Park
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (631) 852-8290
Description: Among this park’s popular offerings are hiking, camping, picnicking, freshwater fishing, rowboat rentals, hunting, and horseback-riding trails. The park is located within Long Island’s Pine Barrens. Campsites are available for both tents and RVs. Daytime-only fishing is probably the most popular activity here, thanks to the abundance of different types of fish that can be found within the waterways.
29. Shinnecock Canal County Marina
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (631) 854-4952
Description: This county-operated marina has docking space for 50 vessels and offers full facilities, including restrooms, showers, and a sewage pumping station. If you’re arriving by boat, reservations for docking space are required. The maximum stay for boats, however, is two weeks. What’s most appealing about this marina is that it’s located within walking distance of the Meschutt Beach County Park.
30. Shinnecock East County Park
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (631) 852-8899
Description: This county park is allocated primarily for outer beach camping, specifically for self-contained RVs (no tents). The park offers 100 campsites. In terms of activities, there’s saltwater fishing and areas designated for off-road recreational vehicle use. The park is located along the eastern border of Shinnecock Inlet, where the waterway meets the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, the area offers both ocean and calmer bay beaches.