places where you won't be able to wipe the wag off your dog's tail - Easthampton NY
The Park
In 1879, ten years before his death, Arthur W. Benson, of Brooklyn Gas & Light and Bensonhurst fame, purchased 10,000 acres of government land around Montauk for a little more than $15 an acre. He envisioned his new holdings as a playground for the rich. A generation later Robert Moses, the visionary New York land planner, saw a different future for Montauk. He wanted a necklace of public parks along the Montauk shores and in 1924 announced plans to condemn 1700 Benson estate acres for the fledgling New York State Parks system. It took a three-year court battle that wound its way to the New York Supreme Court but Moses prevailed. The enduring jewel of his struggle is Hither Hills State Park that stretches from ocean to bay and is the largest state park in Montauk.
The Walks
For most visitors, Hither Hills is a mile of pristine, dune-backed Atlantic Ocean beach and top-rated campground. With such delights, the 1755-acre park’s interior that stretches to Napeague Bay is often overlooked. All the better for canine hikers, who are not welcome on the beach anyway. Miles of informal sandy trails and jeep roads pick through the pitch pine, scrub oak and beach heather. Of the marked trails, the long-distance Paumanok Path that crosses to Montauk is the most prominent. It can be combined with the Serpent’s Back Trail and others to form sporty hiking loops that will delight your dog for hours. Expect plenty of ups and downs as you twist through the pine barrens. Highlights include the bass-stuffed Fresh Pond, panoramic overlooks and the sandy/cobbly shore of Napeague Bay.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Trail maps are available at the parking lot or park office; the named trails are blazed.
Workout For Your Dog - A full day is possible.
Swimming - The swimming is easy for your dog on the sandy beach of Napeague Harbor from the Walking Dunes Trail and on the shores of Napeague Bay.Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are not permitted anywhere south of Route 27 including the beach and campground but can hike east of Napeague Harbor and south of Napeague Bay.
Something Extra
Hither Hills is home to the unique walking dunes - 80-foot high piles of sand that are blown more than three feet each year by the strong westerly winds. As the sands shift they completely bury trees and vegetation, eventually moving on and leaving phantom forests of dead trees. A 3/4-mile trail loops through the dunes and giant bowls for you and your dog to poke around the bogs and coastal shrubs up close. Further explorations can take place along the shore of Napeague Harbor and around Goff Point. Parking for the Walking Dunes is at the end of Napeague Harbor Road and is limited to a few cars.
Phone - (631) 668-2554
Admission Fee - In season mid-April to mid-November, but only south of Route 27 where dogs are not allowed.
Directions - Easthampton; parking is available on the north side of Montauk Point State Parkway (Route 27) at the Hither Hills Overlook, one mile east of the split with Old Montauk Highway.
No comments:
Post a Comment