Dan's Papers - November 7, 2008

Last Saturday, I led a group of Long Island trail enthusiasts on an approximately 10-mile section of the Paumanok Path, experiencing some of the most beautiful natural places in eastern Southampton. We hiked from Big Woods in North Sea to Laurel Valley in Noyac.

To take this hike with a friend, park one car at the end point of the hike. Directions to the end point: From County Road 39, head east past Southampton College, bear left onto North Sea Road. Follow the sign for Route 52, Sag Harbor and North Sea. After traveling 2.4 miles bear right onto Noyac Road (Route 38). Follow Noyac Road east four miles, then turn right into the Northside Hills Community onto English Garden Lane. Immediately turn left onto North Side Drive, and then, after .7 miles, turn left onto Deerwood Path. Deerwood Path leads out of Northside Hills, across Deerfield Road to the Laurel Valley trailhead on Deerfield Road. There is parking on the shoulders of Deerfield and Deerwood.

It's necessary to shuttle the cars, since this hike starts in one place and ends somewhere else. The way this is normally done is by having two or more people drive to the end point of the hike, and then fill a small number of cars to bring the group to the starting point of the hike. At the end of the walk, a hiker drives the shuttlers back to their cars parked at the starting point. To get to the starting point of this hike (from the end point), enter the Northside Hills Community by cutting across Deerfield Road, onto Deerwood Path. Follow Deerwood Path to the end. Turn right onto North Side Drive, follow it for .7 miles. Turn right onto a very short road called English Garden Lane, then turn left onto Noyac Road. Travel 4 miles to a "T" intersection, and turn left onto North Sea Road. After traveling a short distance on North Sea Road, look for the Elliston Park sign; turn right onto Millstone Brook Road. Travel 0.8 miles on Millstone Road; pass Elliston Park on the left, then a little further down the road look for a small parking area large enough to accommodate 4 cars, notched on the right, opposite the opening of Big Fresh Pond Road. At the entrance, there is a sign for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Marguerite Crabbe Greiff Wildlife Sanctuary. If the Nature Conservancy lot is filled, there's additional parking on a triangle of grass at the junction of Scott Road and Millstone Road. You will pass by the larger parking area, a short distance east of TNC parking lot.

In anticipation of this hike, the Southampton Trails Preservation Society created a reroute and built a bridge over a brook. Ideally, hikers should be able to follow the Paumanok Path's white, rectangular blazes the entire 10 miles. As soon as some volunteers are found to assist in blazing the gaps and re-routes, and a map of the trail is printed, this will be a reality. If you can't wait for that, a more recent version of the trail description than what is on the litlc.org, with corrections and a map, will be e-mailed to all new LITLC members: Go to the above web site and click on "Join Us." The new version provides more detailed information.

This hike was part of three Paumanok Path participation events, "Green Cooperative Volunteer Day and Two Beautiful Hikes." It was great that several people from the Long Island chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club participated in the Nov. 1 hike and volunteered to join in the November 22 "Green Cooperative Volunteer Day."

This hike was so lovely due in large part to the hard work of the Southampton Trails Preservation Society trail crew and Laura Smith, principal environmental analyst with the Town of the Southampton Community Preservation Division. They worked together to route this portion of the Paumanok Path off the road and into the woods in eastern Southampton. E-mail Ken@litlc.org to volunteer for trail work on Nov. 22 on the David A. Sarnoff Preserve section of the Paumanok Path located between Hampton Hills and Hubbard's Creek.

Long Island trails groups will join in celebration of the great advances made on the Southampton portion of this regional trails initiative. These coalition events take us along 20+ miles of contiguous trail on two exhilaratingly beautiful hikes. The first hike was on Nov. 1. The next one is December 6. "Green Cooperative Volunteer Day" is Nov. 22. The hiking community and the land managers are working to make this 125-mile trail truly sustainable. Please help! If you would like more information about the Paumanok Path, visit litlc.org and select "Trail Care." If you would like to learn more about the events, go to hike-li.org and select the Paumanok Path Celebration link.