Brookhaven State Park Preserve

Messenbourg at his kiosk

About six years ago, when I last visited Brookhaven State Park, the trails were all badly damaged by illegal motor vehicle use: they resembled washboard moguls alternating with mushy sand, ravines, and puddles. I visited the park last week and was astounded. It seems to have been magically transformed - the trails are now level and pleasant to walk on. The puddles are gone, thanks to extensive grading and reliefs cut into the sides of the trails. The junk cars are gone, there's no rubbish nor near miss encounters with illegal ATVs as they scream past and kick up dust.

The Park's gated entrance is on the east side of William Floyd Parkway, five miles north of the LIE, by Whiskey Road. The first thing you see when driving down a short driveway is an ample parking lot with a spectacular kiosk and a luxury handicap-accessible port-o-potty, complete with a hand sanitizer and an automatic towel dispenser. The kiosk has a posted trail map; maps you can carry with you will soon be available. As I was leaving the Park, I had the pleasure of meeting Park Supervisor Jim Messenbourg, who built the kiosk with his crew. If you have any questions or concerns, give him a call at 631-929-6031.

Before this parking area was open, I accessed this area from the 5.25 mile Brookhaven Trail. The Brookhaven Trail runs south, from the southwest corner of the Shoreham-Wading River (SWR) High School parking lot to the Paumanok Path in Ridge. SWR High School is located on Route 25A, two-tenths of a mile east of the William Floyd Parkway. You will intersect the new Brookhaven Park red loop after walking about one mile south on the Brookhaven Trail. From the south, you can access the Brookhaven Trail one mile north of where it intersects the Paumanok Path on the north side of Route 25 in Ridge; 1.7 miles east of the William Floyd Parkway. There are informal parking areas on the shoulder of the road, outside the barriers, for the LIPA Right-of-Way (ROW). If you follow the north shoulder of Rte. 25 west from the ROW a short distance, you will soon see the yellow blazes of the Brookhaven Trail heading north into Brookhaven Park. After walking one mile, you will cross the newly-blazed green loop in Brookhaven Park. The three-mile section of the Brookhaven Trail that passes through Brookhaven Park includes some of the most beautiful sections of the Brookhaven Trail. It passes by two lovely kettle holes to the north and a coastal plain pond to the south. This part of the trail is now beginning to heal after years of abuse from motor vehicle traffic; a significant benefit of having this park actively stewarded by NYS Parks. The LIPA ROW that passes through the Park is free of ATV abuse, dumping, target practice, exposed ground wires, moguls, and ravines.

This park opened last September. During the winter, the gates to the new parking area are open on weekends from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hopefully, the hours will be expanded. During the week, you can park outside the gates and walk in. There are two pavilions with picnic tables near the entrance. New York State parks crews worked to level, cut, and blaze three trails; the 1.7-mile blue trail, the 3.7-mile red trail, and the 5.3-mile green trail. Three miles of the Brookhaven Trail is located within the park. All the newly-created state park trails are wide, offering little exposure to ticks, and they are so well-blazed that it is nearly impossible to get lost. As the Brookhaven Trail is winding and narrow, it is best suited to the more seasoned hiker. There are other narrower, unmarked trails for the more adventurous. The green trail is especially enjoyable because it avoids roads, it crosses the Trail in two places, and it winds by several ponds.

On days when the parking area is crowded, I've seen individuals, couples, and families walking, jogging, horseback-riding, and mountain-biking when I've visited. People who I saw with dogs usually had them on leashes and were carrying out their dog's "deposits" in plastic bags. The well-groomed character of this park commands the respect of its visitors.

I walked the entire perimeter of the park. The only breaches in the fence were those purposely created - they were only wide enough for people to walk through. The wider openings (for horses) have a log running along the bottom of the access opening, allowing for horses but not motor vehicles.

This area is experiencing environmental healing after years of neglect and abuse. The taxpayers are getting a lot of bang for their buck, environmental restoration and protection, and a robust venue for recreation and communing with nature. It's great that state parks maintain a benign presence in Brookhaven State Park and provide so much to the public with so little cost in infrastructure.

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