Edwin and Gertrude Grace Nature Preserve

Location: Greenlawn, NY

Size: 23 acres

Date of hike: Sept. 27, 2019

The Edwin and Gertrude Grace Nature Preserve is a hilly hiking spot with a historic log cabin in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Greenlawn.  I initially tried to visit the preserve two years ago, but I couldn't find the entrance, so I ended up visiting the nearby Betty Allen Twin Ponds Nature Park and Phragmites Park in Centerport.  This time, though, I was set on finding the elusive entrance once and for all.  And I did.  But it was still a bit difficult.  Thankfully, it was worth the effort.
  
The preserve's entrance is on Arbutus Road, which is off of Centerport Road, and is located between Arbutus and Grace courts.  Unfortunately, there is not a single sign for the preserve, so I closely followed directions I saw online in the Town of Huntington's trail guide.  "To reach the trailhead, drive through the cobblestone walls that mark the estate's entrance on Arbutus, pass the first driveway on the left, and stay to the left at the next fork," the trail guide stated.  "Park next to the tennis court."  Interestingly, some online posts accused local residents of removing signs from the preserve's access points – and installing signs stating the entrance is private property – to deter visitors.  "Branches block trail sections and blazes that were on trees have been removed," said one such post on Metrotrails' Facebook page.  As for private property signs, a post on amusements-parks.com said: "They can get away with it since a driveway off to the right is private, but they definitely placed it to scare away any outsiders."

After parking next to the tennis court, I entered a nature trail with a small marker that read "Huntington Greenway Trail."  Within minutes, I passed the preserve's charming log cabin, which was built in 1918 and was part of an estate called Laurel Lodge.  The cabin was all boarded up during my visit, but the porch offered a beautiful view of the Centerport Harbor.  "[The cabin] features chestnut log construction and a big fieldstone fireplace in the center," the trail guide stated.  "There is also a side porch enclosed with windows on three sides."  Apparently, the town recently restored the century-old log cabin and plans to utilize it for educational purposes, according to the guide.  The tiny cabin also sits near many yews, which birds have likely reseeded from plants included in the original landscape designs.  

Other highlights included a stroll garden with landscaping designed in a Japanese approach incorporating moss-lined trails and mature mountain laurels.  "While disease has damaged some of these plants, there is still a showy display during late spring," the trail guide said.  "Keep an eye out for some mountain laurel sprouting up from old stumps in an attempt to recover from this disease."  With regard to wildlife, the forest features everything from red foxes to red-tailed hawks, according to the guide.  Meanwhile, its tree species span from American beeches to black birches to chestnut oaks.  You might also find pine saplings.  

The preserve's northbound trail lasted nearly half a mile and ended behind a building for the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association on Fort Salonga Road.  That property has the Suydam House, which is a historic house museum built in 1730 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.  From there, I retreated to the trailhead.  To my delight, my iPod was on fire with progressive metal by Valis Ablaze and Voices From the Fuselage.

Looking back, I wouldn't travel a long distance to visit Grace Nature Preserve, mostly due to its small size.  But if you find yourself in or near Greenlawn, it's certainly worth a quick visit.  I mean, how often can local hikers see a cabin in the woods without watching a horror flick?

Map: Edwin and Gertrude Grace Nature Preserve (Google Maps image)
Parking: 40°52'44.7"N 73°21'55.5"W
Video: Edwin and Gertrude Grace Nature Preserve (360-degree view)

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