Location: Flanders, NY
Size: 1,815 acres
Date of hike: Nov. 29, 2019
Before exploring, I did a little research on the history and habitats of Hubbard County Park. The undeveloped park is "a land of transitions" complimented by beach grass under a pine tree canopy and prairie grass abutting a salt marsh, according to the Suffolk County Parks Department's website. It's bordered by Flanders Bay, features the freshwater Penny Pond, and was once occupied by the Shinnecock Indian Nation. Apparently, a man named John Jacob Astor owned the land when he was America's richest person during the early 1800s, with the Hubbard family homesteading there the rest of that century. It was later acquired and made into a private hunting preserve by famous financier E.F. Hutton, who turned the family's home into the historic Black Duck Lodge, according to the Town of Southampton. Interestingly, the county claims that remains of duck blinds and various tools can still be found on the land. Hubbard County Park is also home to the "Ghost Forest," a series of sunken stumps that once stood as full cedar trees before being swamped by a change in sea level, said Newsday. In addition to hiking, the property is a popular spot for canoeing, kayaking and hunting with activity check-ins required at nearby Sears Bellow County Park.
The park's entrance is located along the northern side of Riverhead-Hampton Bays Road, with the trailhead just a stone's throw north of there on the west side of Red Creek Road. The first thing I noticed was two trail markers: regular white blazes and diamond-shaped markers posted by the Southampton Trails Preservation Society. I started on the white, which took me a few miles east over River Creek Road and Hubbard Creek. I must say, crossing the creek was a chore as a bridge built by Boy Scouts was partially collapsed, leaving me ankle deep in water. But it was worth it to see the picturesque Penny Pond, which has largemouth bass up to 20 inches in length, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's website. "Penny Pond is a great spot for anglers who wish to escape the commotions of suburbia," the website said. "It has a secluded feel and natural beauty that set it apart from other Long Island fishing spots." Other fish found in the pond include chain pickerel, pumpkinseed and brown bullhead.
From there, I continued east along the white trail to an internal dirt road called Hildreth, where my geocaching app indicated I was about to exit the park's green-shaded portion. That's when I suspected that the white blazes were part of the 125-mile Paumanok Path, which runs from Rocky Point to Montauk Point, and so I turned around since I planned to hike part of that path this winter. Next, I followed the diamond-shaped blazes back across Red Creek Road to the breathtaking trails alongside Flanders Bay. Unfortunately, this was where infestations by southern pine beetles, which I'd read about online, was most evident. It seems tens of thousands of trees have died countywide with the first infestation found in Hubbard County Park in 2014, according to the Riverhead News-Review. The article said prevention efforts include cutting down infected trees to cut off the insect's food supply.
From there, I continued east along the white trail to an internal dirt road called Hildreth, where my geocaching app indicated I was about to exit the park's green-shaded portion. That's when I suspected that the white blazes were part of the 125-mile Paumanok Path, which runs from Rocky Point to Montauk Point, and so I turned around since I planned to hike part of that path this winter. Next, I followed the diamond-shaped blazes back across Red Creek Road to the breathtaking trails alongside Flanders Bay. Unfortunately, this was where infestations by southern pine beetles, which I'd read about online, was most evident. It seems tens of thousands of trees have died countywide with the first infestation found in Hubbard County Park in 2014, according to the Riverhead News-Review. The article said prevention efforts include cutting down infected trees to cut off the insect's food supply.
Another troublesome issue are the ticks. While I didn't find any due to the colder weather, my research showed others have had problems in the park. "I wasn't with a dog thankfully, but somehow managed to end up with thousands of extremely tiny ticks on my shoes that quickly worked their way up both of my legs," a hiker wrote on the website BringFido.com. "The tick apocalypse awaits you." Another tick-ridden person wrote: "In less than an hour, the four people in our group found about 10 ticks each on us." Meanwhile, on the website AllTrails.com, one hiker stated that she removed upwards of 50 ticks after visiting the park. "If the county is going to consider this a trail then it needs to maintain the path," she wrote.
With regard to wildlife, Hubbard has everything from clams and scallops to blue herons and ospreys, as well as a variety of turtles and reptiles. As for trees, the park features species such as pitch pines, white oaks and red cedars, according to the website nynjcbotany.org. Shrubs span from mountain laurel to swamp azalea and herbs range from pickerelweed to fragrant white water lily. Speaking of water, my music of choice was Swedish progressive metal band Darkwater, whose album Human is my favorite release of 2019. Give it a spin!
Overall, I definitely recommend that all local hikers try to check out Hubbard County Park. While I didn't hike every trail, I explored enough to get a feel for what the park has to offer, and I loved every second. If you like pines and ponds like me, then you will certainly like hiking in Hubbard. Just make sure to guard against the ticks, especially in the summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment