A few years ago, I began exploring New York State Parks located on Long Island that I was not as familiar with. To my surprise, I came across Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve, which has become my favorite local New York State Park to spend a day hiking/exploring. While many of the state parks located on the island are nice for an afternoon stroll or for simply relaxing, Caumsett is different in a sense that it has the potential to be more strenuous. Since this is one of the few state parks on Long Island that has varied terrain, it allows for a pretty extensive hike depending on the direction, paths, and trails you take. Although some people prefer to venture to Caumsett for an afternoon stroll or biking experience, when I visit this location, I like to take advantage of the terrain and milage this park has to offer. The 1,500 acres of varied terrain at Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve offers a unique outdoor experience for everyone of all ages and adventure preference.
Getting There
Caumsett State Park is located in the Village of Lloyd Harbor in Huntington. The park itself sits on Lloyd Neck, which is a peninsula extending into the Long Island Sound. I live very central on Long Island and it takes me about 40 minutes to get to Caumsett since it is located on a northern tip of central Long Island. From experience, the drive to the park can be a bit confusing, especially if it is your first time visiting. In order to get there, you need to go through a few neighborhoods, which makes you feel like you are going the wrong way. However, you will know you are getting close to the park entrance when the road becomes surrounded by water for a short period of time, enters into a woodsy area, and the lanes become pretty narrow. I have never experienced a problem while using my car's GPS, but know that the drive there can be a bit misleading at first.
As mentioned in other blog posts of mine, since this is a New York State Park, be prepared to pay a fee of $8 per car upon your arrival. Again, if you have the Empire Pass, you simply need to show the toll worker your pass, and you will not be charged. I know I have discussed this in previous posts, but I highly recommend purchasing this pass.
What to do
While Caumsett does not offer any recreational rentals, there are still quite a number of activities that one can partake in. One of the aspects I like the most about this park is how there are different kinds of trails depending on what you wish to do. For instance, there is a large, circular, paved biking path that spans about 3 miles in total. Not only do many people use this nicely paved path for biking, but this trail will also lead you to the un-paved hiking trails. As previously mentioned, there are sooo many different paths and trails to take that it is impossible to describe them all. However, below I will describe my favorite hike, which will lead to a beautiful, isolated beach area. In all my time exploring this state park, I have never come across anyone else on this beach. I always found that to be strange since in my opinion, the beach area has the most beautiful view in all of Caumsett State Park.
If you are not looking to bike, hike, or take in the views at the beach, there are plenty of open fields to relax and have a picnic. There are also some picnic tables scattered throughout some areas, but I recommend bringing a blanket and picnic basket. After your picnic, you can walk the paved grounds closest to the parking lot. Here, you will find a garden area, an equestrian center with horses to admire, and a historical society that provides a historic interpretation of life during the colonial period. Overall, Caumsett offers an abundance of nature-filled activities for everyone to enjoy the great outdoors.
My Favorite Hiking Trail
When I visit Caumsett, I like to focus on hiking the diverse park. Starting from the main parking lot, I enter the park and begin to pass the area with all of the white farm houses on my left-hand side, along with the garden on my right. I walk this paved, tree-lined path until I come across the first intersection, which is where I make a left. Here, the equestrian center will be located on your right-hand side. For the next ~1.5 miles of my hike, I walk the paved path that many use as the bike trail (the 3 mile circular path I mentioned earlier). However, I veer off this path onto the grassy area once I see the Main House (pictured right), which is about halfway through the circular bike path. Once I reach this point, I go behind the Main House, take in the view of the Long Island Sound, and head down the giant hill.
Once I have reached the bottom of the hill behind Main House, I immediately veer towards the left. Although there is a more distinguished path on the right-hand side, I prefer to head into the woods to the left for a spectacular view of the water. Once you enter the clearing into in the wooded area, you will see there are distinguished dirt paths now rather than paved bike paths. The rest of the hike from this point will be more of a natural trail. Continue straight into the woods until you come across the first intersection. Here, you will make the right-hand turn. You will then continue straight until you begin to see the Long Island Sound peeking through the trees. This view is the most beautiful part of the hike since you are slightly elevated on the cliffs overlooking the beach.
From here, I carefully descend down the cliff onto the beach. It can be difficult to get down from the cliff, but I find the easiest way is to go down through the clearing pictured above. Although I would not swim in the water here, it is a very beautiful view of the Long Island Sound. It is fun to climb over all of the rocks and admire the view. I am not sure if this is a coincidence, but whenever I go down to the beach, I never see anybody else. I have been to Caumsett numerous times now, and I always have the beach to myself, which is very nice and calming. I like to take my time making my way across the beach since this is about the halfway point of my ~6.5 hike.
I then walk the entirety of the rocky beach until I come across steps on the left-hand side, which lead back into the wooded area. Once I am off the beach and back on to the dirt path, I continue straight for a couple of miles until I come across a large open field on both sides of the path. In the distance, you should be able to see those white farm houses that you walked by at the very beginning of the hike. ~6.5 miles later and the hike is complete! Ultimately, you walked in an enormous circle, but I love how this trail allows you to experience different paths, terrains, and an abundance of wildlife.
While I mainly stick to this same hiking trail each time I visit Caumsett State Park, there are many other trails that I have yet to explore. For instance, the very first time I visited Caumsett, rather than walking on the beach, we walked alongside the beach on the top of the cliffs. The views up there were also amazing! There are so many different hiking options based on your preference, which is one of the many aspects I love about this park.
I hope you enjoyed reading about one of my favorite state parks to hike on Long Island! I highly recommend visiting Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve. The views from this park are absolutely stunning and you must experience it for yourself. I look forward to exploring more of the many state parks New York has to offer both on and off Long Island!
Many more adventures to come,
Ashley
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