Bay to Bay Footpath

Location: Southampton, NY

Size: 8.2 miles

Date of hike: Feb. 5, 2023

The Bay to Bay Footpath is an 8.2-mile trail that vertically traverses Long Island’s South Fork from the Peconic Bay to the Shinnecock Bay.  I found out about the footpath several years ago when I saw some of its markers while hiking at the Pine Neck Nature Sanctuary in East Quogue.  Upon spotting the markers, I knew I had to hike the whole trail one day.  To my delight, it didn't disappoint.

Before embarking, I briefly researched the history and habitats of the Bay to Bay Footpath.  While I didn't find much information on the path's history, I did come across a detailed trail map posted on the Town of Southampton's website.  The Bay to Bay's trailhead is located atop a bluff within Squiretown Park in Hampton Bays if you start hiking at the Peconic Bay, or along the shore within Pine Neck Nature Sanctuary in East Quogue if you start hiking at the Shinnecock Bay.  Between those two pretty preserves, there are several road crossings – the biggest of which were Flanders Road (NY Route 24), Sunrise Highway (NY Route 27) and Montauk Highway (NY Route 27A) – as well as awesome views of multiple ponds such as Bellows, Grass and Munns.  There was also a mile or so of street hiking on a residential road called Malloy Drive in East Quogue.  To navigate the footpath, follow the red and white markers that depict a hiker and the words "Bay to Bay Footpath – Southampton Town, NY."  You also need to park a car at the ending point, or you can do as I did and call for an Uber.

The starting point for me was within Squiretown Park, which has an entrance on Red Creek Road just north of West Landing Road.  Squiretown Park is a 65-acre parcel with numerous campsites along the Peconic Bay as well as a handful of abandoned buildings from when it was once known as Camp Tekakwitha, according to the website LIParks.com.  Apparently, the waterfront park was spared from development after the town acquired the land from the Girl Scouts of Nassau County for $16.5 million.  "Despite our efforts to increase its usage, we realized that camping just doesn't seem to be one of the things that the girls like to do," one Girl Scout official told The New York Times in 2006.  As for the footpath's ending point, Pine Neck Nature Sanctuary is a 77-acre parcel and "one of the few places where the pine barrens go all the way to Long Island's South Shore," according to the Nature Conservancy.

The hike's highlight for me were the sweet views of both bays – particularly Shinnecock Bay, where a salt marsh sits right alongside the shore.  "The clashing of habitats and picturesque landscape makes Pine Neck Sanctuary an ideal place for nature photography, bird watching, wildlife viewing and hiking," said a sign.  From what I read online, the sanctuary is the former estate of a person named Zoe Van Wyck DeRopp, who donated 12 acres to the conservancy in 1972.  The additional acreage was purchased through a joint agreement between the town and the conservancy in 2000.  I should also note that no dogs are permitted in the sanctuary, and the conversancy's website warns that deer and lone star ticks are "commonplace" there.

Regarding wildlife, I saw animals including horseshoe crabs, white-tailed deer and a range of waterfowl.  Meanwhile, bird species along the path included red-tailed hawks, purple martins and ospreys – the latter of which will migrate from their winter habitats in the early spring to Long Island.  "Adult ospreys usually return in male-female pairs to the same nesting spots they occupied in the past near a pond or bay," according to a sign.  "Chicks hatch later in the spring and are talon-fed a diet of fish caught by their parents, such as the menhaden."

In closing, I'd definitely recommend that all local hikers check out the Bay to Bay Footpath.  The only downside was the occasional road noise, which I blocked by rocking to Riverside's new masterpiece ID.Entity, but I enjoyed experiencing a bevy of parks in a three-hour span.  It's like a crash course in nature on Long Island's South Fork.  Love the Bay to Bay, baby!    




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