Coindre Hall County ParkLocation: Huntington, NY
Size: 33 acres
Date of hike: July 4, 2020
Coindre Hall County Park features a 40-room French-style mansion with a sprawling lawn and hilly trails that lead to a view of the Huntington Harbor. I first visited the picturesque property, which is a popular spot for local dog walkers, two years ago with my girlfriend and her dog Nova. This time, I went with Aurora, who is our 12-week-old Australian Cattle Dog. Needless to say, Aurora and I both loved it. This park sure puts the "wow" in "bow-wow."
Before exploring, I briefly researched the history and habitats of Coindre Hall County Park. The 80,000-square-foot mansion, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was made for a pharmaceutical magnate named George McKesson Brown in 1912 and was then acquired to be a boarding school and summer retreat by a Catholic congregation called Brothers of the Sacred Heart, which named it in honor of its founder André Coindre, in 1930. The school closed about 40 years later and the land was bought by Suffolk County in 1973, according to the Suffolk County Parks Department's website. "Coindre Hall represents the height of the Gold Coast era with its medieval turrets and its sweeping views of the harbor," the website said. Today, the mansion is typically used for weddings, holiday celebrations and programs through the Town of Huntington. It also has a gym used for basketball and soccer games and an art studio space used as part of a work-exchange program by the nonprofit Splashes of Hope, which offers free guided tours of the estate in the summer.
The estate's entrance is on Browns Road just north of Southdown Road, with enough parking for dozens of vehicles available behind the hall. The hiking trails, which start on the left and right sides of the open field, are 1.1 miles total and form an east-to-west (or west-to-east) loop from the hall down to the harbor and back. They also offer "a variety of habitats to observe," according to the town's trail guide. I began with the trail along the big lawn's western edge and continued downhill through the forest and wetland before reaching a boarded-up boathouse that bordered the harbor. From there, I walked along the pretty waterfront toward the Gold Star Battalion Beach before making my way up the parcel's eastern edge and back to my car. "This little beach is in dedication to the 227 men of the Town of Huntington that joined the Gold Star Battalion in World War II," said LongIsland.com.
The hike's highlights for me all started with an "H": the hall, harbor and hills. Though I didn't get to tour the hall's interior, it supposedly boasts an indoor courtyard, six fireplaces and a spiral staircase. But its exterior was enough to leave me breathless. "The ambiance and architecture have the power to transport guests through land and time to the Loire Valley," said the website TheKnot.com, alluding to a location in central France. As for the harbor, when I texted a picture of it to my mother she asked if I was on an island in the Caribbean. And, of course, let's not forget those pooch-filled hills. "Many people will bring their dog to frolic and play in the hills of the 'backyard' of the mansion," said the website BringFido.com.
Regarding wildlife, there's everything from snapping turtles to horseshoe crabs to opossums, while birds range from black-crowned night herons to red-tailed hawks to great-horned owls. In fact, I heard the hooting of owls overhead the entire hike between the tracks on my iPod. My music of choice was Australian progressive metal band Caligula's Horse's new album, Rise Radiant. My favorite song was definitely "The Ascent," which describes climbing a metaphorical mountain using markers left by loved ones to reach even greater heights.
Map: Coindre Hall County Park (Google Maps image)
Parking: 40°53'36.8"N 73°26'13.8"W
Video: Coindre Hall County Park (360-degree view)
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