Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve

Location: Lloyd Harbor, NY 

Size: 1,520 acres 

Date of hike: Feb. 2, 2014 

Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve is a popular hiking spot with a gorgeous beach on a peninsula that extends into the Long Island Sound.  I've seen the preserve mentioned on every list of the region's top parks or preserves – and deservedly so.  The park flat-out rocks.  It has everything from an equestrian center to beautiful beaches and bluffs to amazing trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing.  But that's only the beginning.

Prior to hiking, I briefly researched the history and habitats of Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve, which has terrain ranging from a salt marsh to rocky shorelines, according to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation's website.  The park came to be when a man named Marshall Field III purchased 1,750 acres of Lloyd Neck to create one large estate in 1921, titling the property after its Indian name Caumsett, which means "place by a sharp rock."  He then built a self-sufficient English-style estate with a large mansion, several cottages, and an operating dairy farm with a herd of over 80 cattle.  The property also combined the features of a country club, hunting preserve and a home complete with its own water and electrical supply.  "When the estate was finished it had facilities for every sport except for golf," the website said.  The land was later acquired by New York State in 1961 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.  Today, it boasts a maritime beach that is the "fourth largest of six documented in the state" as well as an outstanding oak-tree tulip forest that is one of "the state's best examples of this habitat type," according to a sign.  Lastly, for those wondering, no dogs are allowed.

The park's entrance is located on Lloyd Harbor Road, just west of the historic Henry Lloyd Manor House, which was built in 1711 and is leased to the Lloyd Harbor Historical Society.  For hikers, there are a dozen trails that range from 0.4 to 3.2 miles, as well as 6.4 miles of unmarked trails, according to a trail map on the state's website.  I started my hike heading east towards a three-mile fitness path with various exercise stations.  It looped around the Lloyd Harbor Equestrian Center and attracted everyone from hardcore joggers to mothers with strollers.  It also led to the Caumsett Hall, which is where the real fun began for me.  Behind the hall is one of the park's top spots: a large downhill slope that offers a view out to the Long Island Sound.  After inching my way down the snowy slope, I tiptoed onto the edge of a frozen freshwater pond that sat between me and the beach.  Next, I took a trail through the trees and walked west along the shore until I got to Lloyd Point, which had a sandy area that stretched into the tide.  The fog made it seem like the edge of the world.  

The hike's highlights for me included strolling through snow-capped boulders on the beach and exploring Lloyd Point, which is an "excellent example" of undeveloped coastal wetland ecosystem and has one of the "least disturbed salt marshes on Long Island's North Shore," according to the Suffolk County Fish & Floating Guidebook.  I also enjoyed the preserve's abandoned water towers, which once held a combined capacity of approximately 175,000 gallons that was pumped up to them from a well located a half mile away, according to the park's trail guide.  Apparently, the towers were decommissioned once public water became available there in 2001.  Another cool attraction was something called the Walled Garden.  I'm not certain of its origin or purpose, but it was basically a garden surrounded by walls and filled with a series of symmetrical walking paths.  It gave me a very meditative feel.

Regarding wildlife, the preserve has everything from eastern box turtles to white-tailed deer to American black ducks.  The site is also home to the Caumsett Bird Conservation Area, which has one of the state's most significant nesting areas for endangered piping plovers.  "Within this habitat are some important breeding grounds, migratory corridors and forest communities that support a diversity of neotropical birds," a sign said.  In total, over 225 different types of birds have been documented throughout the park, ranging from eastern screech owls to great blue herons to Baltimore orioles.  If you're into marine life, the park also offers "excellent fishing" and scuba diving by permit, according to the state's website.

To set the mood, I decided to listen to Anathema's Weather Systems, which is an absolute masterpiece of an album released in 2012.  The UK-based progressive rock group and their emotional songs have been slowly growing on me in recent weeks, and they were a terrific choice for an introspective hike through the sprawling Caumsett.  "Your world is everything you ever dreamed of, if only you could open up your mind and see the beauty that is here," Lee Douglas declared on the electrifying "Lightning Song."  I headbanged with every step.

In closing, Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve is a place that all hiking enthusiasts need to see at some point during their explorations of Long Island.  While I wish I'd given myself a little more time to check out the pretty preserve in its entirety, its trails definitely left me with a strong sense of calm and harmony.  And, for me, that is the greatest gift a hike could give. 

(Updated: July 19, 2018)
    

Map: Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve (Google Maps image)
Parking: 40°55'02.8"N 73°28'22.2"W
Video: Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve (360-degree view) 

Click here for more photos