Location: Centerport, NY
Size: 43 acres
Date of hike: July 1, 2026
The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium has a hilly one-mile loop path that features educational signs about the planets called the Solar System Hiking Trail. I learned about the picturesque trail during a recent visit to the planetarium with my wife and our two-year-old son Everett, who loves everything involving outer space. Unfortunately, he was too young to tackle the advanced path, so I went back two weeks later by myself. Needless to say, I’m glad I did. The trail was out of this world!
Prior to hiking, I briefly researched the history and habitats of the Solar System Hiking Trail, which includes a scale model of the solar system and is nestled in the rolling woods behind the Charles and Helen Reichert Planetarium. The trail itself, which is "one of the first Long Island hiking trails,” dates back to the 1920s when William K. Vanderbilt II created it while living on the 43-acre waterfront summer estate and its 24-room Spanish-Revival mansion known as "Eagle’s Nest," according to the estate’s website. “Eventually, the trail became overgrown and disappeared into the forest,” the site said. “The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, located at Eagle’s Nest, has reclaimed the hiking trail and held a grand-opening ceremony on November 19, 2023. The project's major donors and the museum's trustees attended the event on the property's rose garden, which is also the trailhead.” Apparently, the planet-themed path complements programs offered through the planetarium on topics including astronomy and science, technology, education and math – also known as STEM.
The estate’s entrance is on Little Neck Road two blocks before the Centerport Beach Park, and the trailhead is located a stone’s throw north of the planetarium building. To reach the trailhead, I walked past the planetarium until I encountered a beautiful fountain and took a staircase down a steep hill where the trail began at an opening in the forest off to the right. “This is an advanced hiking trail with many steep climbs and descents,” stated the estate’s website. “It is cleared and free from overgrowth. However, the dirt trail does feature some loose terrain and an elevation gain of nearly 300 feet.” For inexperienced hikers, there are two opportunities to cut the hike short and return to the main parking lot if you cannot finish the loop, according to the website. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $10 for children under 12. The grounds are open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesday through Sunday.
The hike’s highlight for me were the educational signs that provided interesting details about the solar system. “This hiking trail scales down distances to the planets in our solar system, starting with the sun and ending at Neptune,” said a sign at the trailhead. “Along your hike, you will start from the sun and pass by each of the planets so you can see how far they are from each other, and how large they are at this scale.” Other signs compared the objects in our solar system to various household items – a beach ball for the sun, a golf ball for Saturn, and a pebble for Earth “The sun gives the light we see and heat we feel and without it there would be no life on Earth," a sign said. "It is...so big that you could fit 1 million Earths inside.”
Regarding wildlife, I observed everything from an eagle to white-tailed deer. The eagle was proudly perched atop an abandoned structure I came across near the second opportunity to turn back to the parking lot. Instead of turning back, I turned right toward an old boarded-up building and instantly glimpsed the eagle surveying the scene like a majestic security guard. The structure seemed to be a broken-down boathouse with killer views of Northport Harbor. It was the perfect spot on the perfect day. I also saw a fawn minutes later just off the trail.
All in all, I definitely recommend that all hikers check out the Solar System Hiking Trail while visiting the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium. While the walk can be hard at times, the signs add some fun and the views make it all worthwhile. And, of course, don’t forget to catch a planetarium show while you’re there to learn even more about the planets!
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