Welwyn Preserve  

Location: Glen Cove, NY 

Size: 204 acres 

Date of hike: March 16, 2019 

 

Welwyn Preserve is a sprawling park with everything from graffiti-filled buildings to a beach with beautiful views of the Long Island Sound.  It is also home to the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County.  It was suggested to me a few years ago by my friend Chris, who is a big geocacher, but it took me a while to visit since I've mostly focused on Suffolk County.  Well, it finally felt like the right time for Welwyn.

 

Prior to hiking, I briefly researched the history and habitats of Welwyn Preserve, which is the former estate of an oil fortune heir named Harold Irving Pratt, according to Nassau County's website.  It includes a Georgia-style mansion where Harold and his wife Harriet lived from 1906 until their respective deaths in 1939 and 1969, after which the house was willed to Nassau County.  "The county had no other plans for Welwyn though, and the luxurious estate was left to rot," stated the website Atlas Obscura.  "The gardens grew thick and tangled as the house remained abandoned."  Decades later, a Holocaust survivor named Boris Chartan announced plans to restore the mansion and open the Holocaust Center in 1994.  For hikers, the densely forested parcel has four marked trails that feature a stream, salt marsh, swamp, freshwater ponds and a gorgeous beach along the Long Island Sound.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find a trail map online, but the park apparently has a 2.4-mile loop, according to the website AllTrails.com.  Lastly, for those wondering, no dogs are allowed. 

 

The preserve's entrance is located on the east side of Crescent Beach Road, just north of New Woods Road.  There is a small parking area big enough to fit two or three cars at the trailhead just inside the entrance, or visitors can park in a larger lot closer to the museum.  The trailhead had a sign indicating the preserve would close at 4:30, so I parked in front of some homes on a road outside the park's gates in case my hike ran longer than expected.  But there was still a number of cars parked inside the preserve when I left just before 6:00, so who knows what the actual hours are.  Anyway, spray-painted reddish markers led me through this first portion of the preserve, which consisted of rolling hills and majestic trees.  The trail continued north and east until it eventually encountered a coastal salt marsh and the picturesque West Pond.  Beyond that was a beach bordering the Long Island Sound. 

 

The hike's highlights for me included the beach and a few graffiti-filled buildings, the former of which had a cool rock jetty.  I couldn't help but hop atop the rocks to the very end of the jetty, where a slab of old sidewalk acted as a platform.  It was a challenging trip due to the strong winds, but worth the effort.  Shortly thereafter, I came across the graffiti-filled buildings and greenhouses, which reminded me of Nissequogue River State Park.  Here, the spray paint ranged from illustrations of weird creatures to controversial slogans like "Legalize All Drugs."  From what I read, the garden was once commissioned by Harold's wife Harriet, who was a horticulturalist with the New York Botanical Garden and the New York World's Fair in 1939. 

 

Regarding wildlife, the area has over 100 species of birds such as osprey and piping plovers.  Meanwhile, its trees feature an "impressive abundance of hardwoods that are protected and were allowed to mature," according to the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference's website.  You'll see everything from tulip trees to Australian black pines, the latter of which were the result of "extensive landscaping done in the earlier parts of last century," the website said.  Apparently, the Pratts contracted the work to a family who helped to design Central Park. 

 

In summary, I'd say Welwyn Preserve is a must-see spot for all nature lovers on Long Island.  In fact, I liked my hike so much that I didn't even reach for my beloved iPod, which is pretty rare for me.  I only wish I had enough time left to check out the Holocaust Center, but that just gives me a good reason to come back soon.  Until we meet again, my dear Welwyn!

Map: Welwyn Preserve (Google Maps image)
Parking: 40°52'47.6"N 73°38'26.8"W
Video: Welwyn Preserve (360-degree view) 

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