Long Island Pine Barrens TrailLocation: Rocky Point to Hampton Bays, NY
Size: 47 miles
Date of hike: Sept. 2, 2017, Dec. 23 and 28, 2019, and Jan. 18, 2020
The Long Island Pine Barrens Trail is the second longest hike on Long Island. The 47-mile trail, which begins in Rocky Point and ends in Hamptons Bays, serves as a little more than one-third of the 125-mile-long Paumanok Path, which extends all the way to Montauk Point. I'd been wanting to tackle the barrens for a while, but I didn't have enough consecutive days available to complete the epic trail. My solution was to divide it into sections and hike it as my schedule permitted, and to do it in the winter months to minimize my exposure to ticks. Needless to say, I cherished every second of the trail and the deep peace it provided to me.
Before exploring, I researched the history and habitats of the Long Island Pine Barrens Trail. The trail, which opened in 1994, explores the nation's second-largest pine barrens that span more than 100,000 acres within Suffolk County, according to the Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference's website. "The Long Island Pine Barrens Trail was conceived and designed as purely a footpath – a sanctuary to offer the walker respite from the fast-paced mechanized lifestyle of suburban Long Island," the conference's trail map stated. "It should be used in that spirit." Apparently, the pine barrens overlay the largest quantity of pure drinking water on Long Island and have the greatest diversity of plants and animals in New York. It is also home to the Carmans and Peconic rivers, which are two of the longest rivers on Long Island, and consists of a "mosaic" of pitch pine and pine-oak forests, coastal plain ponds, marshes and streams, according to the Long Island Trail Lovers Coalition. "This deep recharge area must be protected to guarantee the island's sole source of potable water will be secure for our future," the coalition's website said. As for the trail's creation, New York State began acquiring large parcels to create a "greenbelt" trail in the 1970s and the state legislature approved the Long Island Pine Barrens Protection Act to help protect the region in 1993.
To help with the hike, I purchased a three-page trail map from the Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference. The trail has two starting points: one along the southern side of NY Route 25A just west of Rocky Point Yaphank Road (which is also the trailhead for the Paumanok Path, according to AllTrails.com), and another in the parking lot for Shoreham-Wading River High School that starts in Brookhaven State Park. The trails converge south of Middle Country Road (NY Route 25) around Robert Cushman Murphy County Park. From there, the trail passes through multiple parks before it ends near the east side of the Shinnecock Canal, according to the trail map. The Paumanok Path, though, continues on to Montauk Point. For those wondering about the Paumanok, it's the Native American word for "Long Island" and passes through four towns: Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southampton and East Hampton. The path was inspired by Stephen Talkhouse, a 19th-century Montaukett Indian known for 30-mile daily walks from Montauk to East Hampton or Sag Harbor, according to Wikipedia. Also, the Paumanok prohibits ATVs and dirt bikes, but mountain bikes are permitted on the portion stretching between East Hampton and Sag Harbor. Lastly, leashed dogs are allowed.
Regarding wildlife, the pine barrens land is known for hosting thousands of unique species – including over 100 different types of birds, many of which are considered to be endangered, according to LongIsland.com. The site also boasts "outstanding populations" of butterflies and moths, including the elusive buck moth, as well as several threatened vertebrates like the tiger salamander, eastern mud turtle and northern harrier, according to a sign near the western trailhead. "Formed by a unique set of geological conditions over the past 15,000 years, the pine barrens is one of the Northeast's greatest natural treasures," the sign said. In addition, the region has a range of wetland communities including marshes, heath bogs and rare Atlantic white cedar swamps. Those wetland areas are filled with unusual plants, such as several species of sundews and bladderwarts, and over a dozen types of orchids. The land also has a history of wildfires, which its ecosystems need to sustain vegetation. "Although the above ground parts of plants such as blueberries and some oaks may be destroyed after a fire, they regenerate using nutrients stored in their roots," a sign said.
Day 1
In September 2017, I kicked off the first day of my hike at the Rocky Point trailhead on the south side of NY Route 25A, just west of Rocky Point Yaphank Road. I woke up at 6 a.m., ate a hearty breakfast, and hit the trail before 8 a.m. I hoped to hike about 15 miles a day and finish the full 47-mile trail (including separate starts from the trailheads in Rocky Point and Shoreham) over the course of four days. Upon parking, I saw white blazes and a sign that stated: "Welcome all walkers to the Long Island Pine Barrens Trail." My journey had finally begun. The trail starts off in the Rocky Point Natural Resources Management Area, which was created when the RCA Corporation sold some 7,200 acres for just one dollar to New York State in 1972. "This forest is classic pine barrens," a sign stated. "Here, you'll find typical pine barren species such as pitch pine, scrub oak, blueberry and huckleberry." This area also has a "gently rolling topography" that culminates on the headwaters of the Peconic River and is "unique in all of New York State, if not the world," the trail map said.
I followed the trail south and east over a six-hour span across Rocky Point Yaphank Road, Whiskey Road, William Floyd Parkway and Middle Country Road (NY Route 25). I walked until the trail converged with the aforementioned path that starts at Shoreham-Wading River High School. Having hiked my 15-mile quota for that day, I backtracked to the entrance for the Pine Trail Nature Preserve in Ridge, which is where I called for my family to pick me up. One random fact I learned about this part of the path is it follows a narrow corridor originally bought by the county to be part of Highway 111. "The highway proposal never materialized and the corridor was renamed Pine Trail Preserve," the trail map said. Anyway, I'd planned to walk more the next day, but a case of poison ivy around my ankles caused me to take a hiking hiatus and I didn't revisit the trail for two years. Shame on me, I know. But I took the poison ivy as a sign it wasn't the right time for me to hike the Long Island Pine Barrens Trail.
Day 2
My second day on the trail was in December 2019, and I started at the alternate trailhead by Shoreham-Wading River High School. The blazes began as yellow for about five or six miles before they conceded to the Paumanok Path's white blazes around Robert Cushman Murphy County Park, which was the first natural park in Suffolk County. Next, the path goes through the U.S. Navy Cooperative Hunting Area before reaching Wading River-Manor Road one mile north of the hamlet of Manorville, according to the trail map. Apparently, a permit is needed to cross the Rocky Point and Navy co-op lands, but I didn't get one. "In a region of heavily conflicting uses, these permits help justify expenditures for area protection," a sign stated. To obtain a permit, write to the Division of Fish & Wildlife, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Building 40, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY, 11790.
The trail continues south and east over Schultz, Wading River Manor and Mill roads before it reaches a Long Island Expressway overpass on Halsey Manor Road, which is where I called for an Uber to bring me back to my car in Shoreham. One highlight on this section of trail is a big statue of a bull on Wading River Manor Road, only a stone's throw north of River Road. Although you can see the statue from the trail, it's worthwhile to walk off course for a closer look. I also tracked my steps with an app, which said I traveled about 14 miles and burned 1,300 calories, and carried a pad and pen to write down random thoughts and observations. Here's one: "Hiking lets you escape everything and have deep conversations with yourself; conversations you can't have in the presence of television, social media and other people."
Day 3
My third day on the trail started at Halsey Manor Road, where I had left off five days earlier, and the path instantly ducked into the westernmost portion of Manorville Hills County Park. This is the "most rugged portion" of the Long Island Pine Barrens Trail and Paumonok Path, according to the trail map. "As perhaps the most striking example of the glacial action that formed the Ronkonkoma Moraine, its interior reaches are characterized by large numbers of huge boulders called erratics deposited from New England 60,000 years ago," the map said. To my surprise, the map also said the hills – located near the Peconic River and its coastal plain pond system – are "more compactly arranged than any comparable area in the world."
The Manorville Hills area also contains the longest expanse of roadless land on Long Island. Believe it or not, I entered that park at 8 a.m. and didn't see a single person until I emerged from the forest six hours later at Moriches-Riverhead Road. My only company was the pop of firearms from the Calverton Shooting Range. One highlight on this section of trail was a cozy grove of white pines that included a bench dedicated to local naturalists John Cryan, Bob McGrath and John Turner. Another cool spot was the 285-foot Bald Hill in Riverhead, the tallest point on Long Island's East End. I snapped pics of two markers at its summit.
Day 4
I started the fourth and final day on the east side of Speonk Riverhead Road, where the trail enters the David A. Sarnoff Preserve. Apparently, this land was also acquired from the RCA Corporation, which gifted the pretty property to New York State in 1978, according to a sign. "One of the most important features of the pine barrens is the protection it affords to the 3-5 trillion gallons of public drinking water located in the deep recharge aquifers," the sign said. To cross this preserve, a permit is needed from the address mentioned above for the DEC.
After exiting the Sarnoff Preserve, the trail passes through four county parks: Maple Swamp, Birch Creek Owl Pond, Sears Bellows and Hubbard. "The glacial hills here, with far-reaching vignettes to bay and ocean, conjure a sense of melancholy beauty approaching the sublime," the trail map stated of this part of the path. The trail eventually emerges at Red Creek Road and follows a few residential roads by the Peconic Bay on its way to the Shinnecock Canal.
To my delight, it started to snow during my final mile or two, giving me an adrenaline boost. Another energy surge came from the timeless tunes of Canadian progressive rockers Rush, which I listened to nonstop due to the very recent passing of legendary drummer Neil Peart. I dedicate this hike to him. In closing, Rush rocks and so does this trail. Hike it, everyone!
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