Blydenburgh County Park 

Location: Smithtown, NY 

Size: 627 acres 

Date of hike: March 8, 2014

Blydenburgh County Park is where you'll find Long Island's second largest body of water: Blydenburgh Lake, also known as Stump Pond, also known as New Mill or Weld's Pond.  Yes, those are all the names I stumbled across while researching the park online.  You can call it whatever you like though, as long as you call it beautiful.  Because it is.  Incredibly beautiful.

Before exploring, I briefly researched the history and habitats of Blydenburgh County Park.  The land has "richly forested hills and valleys by the headwaters of the Nissequogue River," with its top attractions being the 100-acre lake and something called the Blydenburgh Farm and New Mill Historic District, according to the Suffolk County Parks Department's website.  "They are but a few of the attractions found in Blydenburgh County Park," the website said.  The property itself was inherited by sisters Elizabeth and Susannah Smith of Smithtown in the late 1700s, with Susannah's husband Isaac Blydenburgh buying out Elizabeth's share, according to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).  Isaac and Susannah then built a mill complex with the help of his cousins, Joshua and Caleb Smith, and 100 acres of forest were razed and a dam was created to flood the section to become Blydenburgh Lake (aka Stump Pond).  In fact, you can still see stumps when you wade in the water, the website said.  The land was later acquired by David and Mary Weld in 1938, and then by the county in 1965, before it was named it Blydenburgh County Park in 1969.

The park's entrance is along the north side of Veterans Memorial Highway (NY Route 454) just east of Old Willets Path.  I parked in a big gravelly lot that led to an adorable dock and dozens of empty metal rowboats, which are apparently available to rent from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  Then I hit the blue trail, which is a roughly six-mile loop around the lake and has boardwalks and bridges to help hikers cross creeks and streams.  When I got halfway around, I tiptoed onto the frozen lake and ate a sandwich while sitting on the ice.  It was a very cool experience – literally and figuratively.  For those wondering, Blydenburgh Lake is eight feet deep and is best known for its largemouth bass.  Interestingly, the body of water has a "long history of producing trophy largemouth bass," according to the DEC's website, which calls it "one of the least developed and the most picturesque ponds on Long Island."  Additional fish species in the lake include pumpkinseed, yellow perch and black crappies.

The property's other highlights include the Blydenburgh Farm and New Mill Historic District, which depicts a farm-to-mill-to-market cycle of the pre-industrial economy and has the only public indigenous farm and mill close to each other on Long Island, according to the county.  "At around 1800, the Blydenburgh family dammed the headwaters of the Nissequogue River just north of the union of three streams to create an early industrial and commercial center," said the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference's website.  Guided tours are held regularly by the Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference, which has a headquarters within the historic district.  Speaking of the Greenbelt, the park actually has a section of the epic 32-mile trail, which runs north to south (or south to north) across Long Island.  Look for the white blazes.

The park is also open to horseback riding with trailer parking available by the northern gate on New Mill Road.  In addition, freshwater fishing is permitted between sunrise and sunset, according to the county.  "'Blydenburgh Lake's shore is a well-balanced mix of undisturbed fish habitat and access points for shore-based anglers," the DEC's website said.  "Wading along its shoreline is possible, but there are many hidden stumps that can make it difficult."  Lastly, leashed dogs are allowed and there's a two-acre dog park with areas for both small and large dogs.  "Each area has an open field and a wooded path," stated BringFido.com.

My music of choice on this day was Dream Theater's self-titled album, which was released last year and features the Grammy-nominated single, "The Enemy Inside."  I found myself playing air guitar to John Petrucci's sick riffs as I trekked through the snow-covered paths.  Petrucci, who actually lives in adjacent St. James, really knows how to write songs, man.  Part of me wonders if he's ever hiked Blydenburgh and, if so, how it might've inspired him.

All in all, I'd definitely recommend that local hikers pay a visit to Blydenburgh County Park.  It was a thrill to know I'd walked all the way around the second largest lake on Long Island.  When I return though, it'll likely be in summer.  My inner child longs to row, row, row a boat. 

(Updated: Jan. 28, 2018) 

Map: Blydenburgh County Park (Google Maps image)
Parking: 40°49'50.0"N 73°13'19.3"W
Video: Blydenburgh County Park (360-degree view)

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