Dan's Papers - April 25, 2008 - Take a hike with Ken Kindler

The trail takes a left turn by Division Pond, and then a right turn onto an administrative road. Bear left and head north to cross CR 24 and then shortly cross Red Creek Road. Head up the Black Duck Lodge driveway, following the black owl blazes and the Paumanok Path (PP) blazes. Be alert for where the PP turns right, away from the driveway. The black owl blazes continue past the lodge. We are following just the white blazes now. After making the right turn, note the tidal wetlands of Hubbard's Creek to the left of the trail. Cross over a bridge built by scouts and after a little while turn left onto Red Creek Road. This road takes you over Hubbard's Creek. As you cross the culvert see if cattails still survive there, then turn right following the path back into the woods. At the first major intersection, you can turn left to take a short walk to Penny Pond. Faded blue owl blazes join the PP blazes. Follow them across Hildreth Road, a wide woods road. After passing a second bench, turn right and follow a yellow owl trail down to Old Squires Road. Turn left and follow the road and yellow owl blazes to turn right for a short walk through the woods behind the ball fields taking you back to the ample parking area.

At the edge of the Core, further northeast along Red Creek Road, we reach a 40.5 acre subdivision whose site plan is yet to be determined. According to the Central Pine Barrens Comprehensive Land Use Plan of 1995, this parcel, "Red Creek Site 3," is a "Critical Resource Area" within the compatible growth area. This open space is contiguous to the 50,000-acre Pine Barrens Core. I have guided Dan's Papers readers through 43 miles of trail (Red Creek; Sears Bellows; Hubbard Creek; Sarnoff; and the vast expanse of DEC and County lands beyond) many tens of thousands of acres of contiguous public open space lie to the west. Here the trail will follow an existing path along the southern ridge of a kettle, then hopefully through an easement on this subdivision, onto Red Creek Road near Squires Pond. At this point, development has pushed this regional initiative onto the road. From Red Creek Road the PP follows Newtown Road to the Shinnecock Canal. The Town has purchased much open space around Squires Pond. Camp Tekawitha on the north side of the Pond was recently preserved by the Town and will be a prime destination for a nature trail or over-night camping for the Paumanok Path. This trail may have to skirt this property to the north. Just south of Squires Pond, the Hadley House (Squires family 1700s) was purchased by Southampton Town. There is also a piping plover program nearby. It looks like Southampton Town is protecting as much as they can at the edge of the Core.

Parking at Pleasure Drive, Flanders: the Flanders Presbyterian Church on CR 24 (Flanders Road) is immediately east of the Pleasure Drive / Flanders Road intersection. Drive south on Pleasure Drive until the road takes a sharp curve to the right (immediately after crossing power lines), and turn left into a small parking area with guardrail. Be careful not to block driveway.

From Sunrise Highway exit 64 North, immediate right from 104 North onto Pleasure Drive - 100 yards to parking area. Red Creek Park is located off Jackson Avenue in Hampton Bays - from Sunrise Highway "Exit 65N, 24 North, Riverhead." Travel north on CR 24 a couple hundred yards. You will see several signs before you bear right onto the turn lane for Old Riverhead Road West. Look for state police, Town of Southampton Jackson Avenue offices, and town police signs. Turn right onto Old Riverhead Road, pass the entrance to Southampton Town Police, and make the next left into the park. Where you turn into the park there is a blue and white sign, Town of Southampton Red Creek Park. Once on the road into the park, continue past the picnic areas and enter the last parking field to the right of the flagpole. Park by the small brown and yellow Southampton Town trails sign erected between a basketball court and a baseball diamond. Two hundred feet north along a fence is where the trail begins. There are diamond shaped yellow STPS owl blazes to mark the access trail to the Paumanok Path (about 1 mile north). There are pay phones and restrooms near the parking area.