Pine Trail Nature Preserve

Location: Ridge, NY 

Size: 350 acres 

Date of hike: Jan. 14, 2017

Pine Trail Nature Preserve, as you might've guessed from its name, is a nature preserve with pine trees and a hiking trail.  It also contains a section of the 47-mile Long Island Pine Barrens Trail, which runs from Rocky Point to Hampton Bays, and 125-mile Paumanok Path, which runs from Rocky Point to Montauk Point.  Needless to say, as a guy who likes hiking through seas of pine trees, I was eager to visit this trail as soon as I saw its sign last year.  Pine trees always bring me peace, which means this place should be a peace explosion.

Prior to hiking, I did some research on the history and habitats of Pine Trail Nature Preserve.  Apparently, the preserve is "designated on an unbuilt highway right-of-way," according to an old newsletter from the Long Island Botanical Society, and was established to help link the Rocky Point State Pine Barrens Preserve and Robert Cushman Murphy County Park in the late 1980s.  "Pine Trail Preserve is truly very important," wrote user Reisfield on the website Geocaching.com.  "County Route 111 was initially slated to run all the way to Port Jefferson, but when it was decided to end 111 at Manorville the land was transferred to Suffolk County Parks (thank you, Assemb. Steve Englebright)."  The preserve also has several ponds that serve as the headwaters of the 15-mile Peconic River, the newsletter said.  To my surprise, there were no other details available about the preserve – not even an approximate acreage, which I've estimated – and it isn't listed on the Suffolk County Parks Department's website.

The preserve's entrance is on the south side of Middle Country Road (NY Route 25) just east of the William Floyd Parkway.  The parking area is a dirt patch that can fit a handful of cars, and I was the only one there when I arrived.  Upon parking, the first thing you'll see are the white blazes of the Long Island Pine Barrens Trail, which is known in its longer form as the Paumanok Path.  The preserve's portion of the path is a roughly 4.5-mile "out-and-back trail," according to AllTrails.com.  While hiking, I learned the preserve's eastern edge has several residential openings that are used by local dog walkers, while its western edge is bordered by Brookhaven National Laboratory.  I was hopeful the lab's proximity would result in unique debris, but it didn't.  The craziest thing I saw was the spray-painted phrase, "Fuck the Cops."

I followed the white blazes southeast over multiple dirt, and paved, roads that stretched east to west across the property.  The roads were filled with fallen branches, making them mostly impassable to vehicles, but acting as a cool obstacle for me.  I wandered westward on each one until I encountered the lab's fence, where signs warned of fines for those who trespass, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy.  The trail also passed through a string of power lines and later led to a junction with the Brookhaven Trail, which I once came across while hiking Robert Cushman Murphy County Park.  There, I decided to retreat to the trailhead.

My music of choice was Swedish progressive metal band Pain of Salvation's latest release, In The Passing Light of Day.  Vocalist Daniel Gildenlöw based it around the near-fatal illness he battled in 2014, using his hospital bed as a narrative hub.  The album's lyrics incorporate the conflicting feelings that can consume a person's mind when presented with the prospect of death.  I highly recommend the title track.  It's one of the most moving songs he's written.

All in all, I wouldn't advise hikers to go out of their way to visit the Pine Trail Nature Preserve, but it's a great spot if you live nearby and are craving a quick escape into nature.  It's also a nice introduction to the Long Island Pine Barrens Trail, which I hope to hike someday soon. 

Map: Pine Trail Nature Preserve (Google Maps image)
Parking: 40°53'59.1"N 72°52'10.2"W
Video: Pine Trail Nature Preserve (360-degree view)

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