Wildwood State Park
      
Location: Wading River, NY

Size: 600 acres

Date of hike: Nov. 14, 2014

Wildwood State Park has the largest campground on Long Island and offers everything from hiking to hunting along beautiful bluffs overlooking the Long Island Sound.  It was first brought to my attention by a Facebook friend who said she drives there to pick wild mushrooms.  I've never dabbled in mushroom consumption, but her comments compelled me to look up some photos of the park online.  Needless to say, I liked what I saw.  A few weeks later, I paid the park a visit.

Before exploring, I familiarized myself with the history and habitats of Wildwood State Park, which features about two miles of rocky shoreline.  "Wildwood is comprised of 600 acres of undeveloped hardwood forest terminating on a high bluff overlooking the Long Island Sound," stated the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation's website.  "Swimmers can take advantage of the sound's cool waters, picnickers can relax at shady picnic tables as their children enjoy a nearby playground, and visitors can fish or use the hiking and cross-country ski trails."  The park also has newly-built cottages – which can accommodate up to six people and have a bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen and screened porch – that are "nestled among the trees and just a short walk to the beach," according to the state's website.  In addition, Wildwood allows biking, snowshoeing and paddle boarding, but no dogs.  "Wildwood is every nature lover's dream," said the website Outdoorsy.com.  "You will have countless moments of fun in a distinctive mountain setting."  

The park's entrance is located on North Wading River Road just east of Hulse Landing Road.  An on-site trail map displayed four marked trails: a 3.7-mile yellow trail, a 2.9-mile blue trail, a 2.2-mile orange trail, and a 1.8-mile red trail.  The blue and yellow form rectangular loops around the park's outskirts, while the orange and red loop within the blue and yellow trails.  There are also 3.4 miles of unmarked trails, some of which traverse the tops of bluffs that overlook the Long Island Sound.  While analyzing the map, I heard footsteps behind me.  They belonged to a park employee who explained the trail system and said the park was open to deer hunters.  For those wondering, archery hunting is permitted from Nov. 1 until Jan. 31.  "Hunting may not occur within 50 feet of a marked trail," said the state's website.  "Access permits are free and valid from two hours before sunrise to two hours after sunset."

The hike's highlights for me included the beach, the bluffs and the boulders – the latter of which ranged in size from a golf ball to a golf cart.  I highly recommend the unmarked path that zigzags along the very edge of the bluffs, which is probably one of my favorite trails on Long Island.  Caution signs warned the bluffs were "undermined," but I couldn't help myself.  Halfway through the bluff trail, I had my first deer sighting (or, should I say, deer "sightings").  It was a group of eight deer about a stone's throw away.  I heard the leaves crunch beneath their feet between songs on my beloved iPod.  By the way, my music accompaniment was Threshold's 2002 album, Critical Mass.  The title track is progressive metal at its very best.

Visitors should also know that swimming is allowed in the summer months and camping is available from April through October.  The park has over 300 campsites available for $18-$34 a night, according to Newsday.  In addition, fishing is available all year round, but a permit is needed for night fishing.  Also, the vehicle entrance fee is $10 from June 13 through Sept. 7, or $8 from Sept. 8 through Oct. 12.  Regarding the cottages, their one-night prices start at $175 for a one-bedroom unit or $225 for a two-bedroom unit, according to the state's site. 

In summary, I'd definitely recommend that all local nature lovers visit Wildwood State Park.  The land's outstanding bluffs, frequent deer sightings and picturesque beach all combine to make an awesome afternoon.  And of course, there's those cottages, which are apparently the state's first vacation cabins on Long Island.  Without a doubt, I'm wild about Wildwood!

(Updated: Dec. 30, 2020)



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