Dan's Papers - September 28, 2007 - Take a Hike with Ken Kindler

At a recent Southampton Trail Preservation Society meeting the board members discussed some new and exciting hiking routes for member hikes. One hike that was considered is a walk from Cedar Point County Park in East Hampton to the Val Schaffner House in Bridgehampton's Long Pond Greenbelt. This is a hike that symbolizes the ties between the two towns and their respective trails groups.

I decided to preview this hike with a friend. We left a car in a parking area near the Val Shaffner House and then drove to Alewive Landing where this walk begins. The (long) ramble took a little more than five hours. I'm not sure of the exact distance - I think it is about 11 miles.

Driving directions to the hike destination: turn right, north on Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike (CR-79) for approximately 2 miles. Pass Scuttlehole Road on the left and immediately to the right, find a Nature Conservancy sign by a gated dirt driveway. The driveway is to the Val Schaffner House; it's on the east side of Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Tpk. about 100 yards north of the Scuttlehole Road intersection. It is a .3- mile, bumpy ride to the house. Before reaching the house, there is a small parking area on the right side of the driveway with a Nature Conservancy sign, and a split rail fence across the trailhead, blocking motorized traffic, but allowing easy access by foot. To drive to the starting point of the hike from the Val Shaffner House, take Bridgehampton Sag Harbor Turnpike north. Turn right on Jermaine Avenue, right on Madison, left on Clinton. Pass the High School to make a right on Henry Street (Route 114). Follow Rte. 114 past Barcelona Neck to turn left onto Swamp Road. Turn right onto Old Northwest Road and then a quick left onto Northwest Road. Follow Northwest Road to Alewive Brook Road, turn left and follow the road to its end by Alewive Landing. Park on the shoulder of the road. This is also an excellent place from which to launch a kayak.

To begin the hike from Alewive Landing, head back up the road. Just before Terry Road look for a gate in the cyclone fence running along the left side of the road. Enter Cedar Point County Park through gate 3. Remember to close the gate behind you. The lack of trailhead signs and sparse blazing keeps the first section of the Northwest Path hidden. The rest of the trail is very well blazed, so if you don't see a blaze for a while, you will know to backtrack and find the turn you missed.

Start out walking parallel to Alewive Brook. There is an old NW Path triangle blaze, indicating that you may already be on the 6.5-mile NW Path. The trail reaches an osprey nest and a bench facing out onto a panoramic view of brook and pond. A sharp right turn takes you back to Alewive Brook Road; the trail exits the County Park through gate 2. On the gate, some faded yellow-painted triangles assure the hiker that this is indeed the NW Path. The path follows Alewive Brook Road to the left crossing Scoy Run before turning right, to travel along the Run, then passing it again at the sluice where a well built bridge takes you across the run again. A less scenic, but more direct route is to the right on Alewive Brook Road 40 feet beyond the intersection with Terry's Trail on the left side, by the entrance to a residential community. Note the sign: "Grace Estate Originally Settled in 1672." It is a well-worn trail that meets up with the NW Path south of Scoy Run. At a "Y" intersection bear right back onto the path. At the next intersection, turn right onto the Paumanok Path heading west. Turning left will take you east on the PP a short distance to the trailhead by the School House plaque on Northwest Road. You will now be following the yellow triangles of the NW Path and the white rectangles of the PP.

The next major intersection is Five Corners, where you follow the blazes across Whalebone Landing Road. It is easy to take a wrong turn here, so be alert for white or yellow blazes. If you took Whalebone Landing to the right the trail would take you to Northwest Harbor where a walk north along the shoreline would provide you with a pleasant beach walk back to Alewive Landing.

Next week this 11-mile ramble continues.

Ken Kindler is a Trails and Open Space Advocate working to help the trails groups and land managers care for our "Natural Island." If you would like to learn more about our trails or help care for them, visit the Hiking Long Island website. www.hike-li.org