Sunken Meadow
Many people know of Sunken Meadow as a beautiful, but terribly crowded beach on the North Shore.
But, for some reason, few venture to the east part of the park, past the boardwalk. Those who do can find one of the loveliest spots on all Long Island. A gorgeous peninsula at the mouth of the Nesequogue River.
Directions
Photos of Sunken Meadow
Here's a short video describing my favorite trail at Sunken Meadow. The hike described below should take about an hour.
Here are some additional resources about Sunken Meadow Park
- New York State Parks Description – Sunken Meadow Page
- Long Island Exchange – Sunken Meadow Page
- Long Island Tourism – Sunken Meadow Page
- Wikipedia – Sunken Meadow Page
I’ve been to Sunken Meadow State Park and I loved it! Every time I go, I don’t go to the end of the Sunken Meadow State Parkway. Instead I go to Nisequogue River State Park, which is next to Sunken Meadow (To get there-Sunken Meadow Pkwy to exit SM4E, County Road 11, which soon becomes Old Dock Rd-right on St.Johnland Rd. to park entrance). It was built on the old Kings Park Phsyciatric Center. The LI Greenbelt Trail goes through the park, as does a road near the riverbank. I usually take the Greenbelt. Soon the trail gets to some stairs going down to the beach and the end of the road, but if you go straight, there are a couple of side paths which go to views of the river ending in the Long Island Sound. When you go down the stairs, the Greenbelt will follow the beach for a little bit. During high tide, the whole beach is covered up and you’ll have to walk in the water, so bring your Crocs! Soon you’ll hit a parking lot and a boardwalk where it will be crowded on a nice day. This is where the river ends at the sound. There are stairs along the boardwalk going down to the beach. Be careful-there’s a strong undertoe! The boardwalk is the boundary between Nissequogue River State Park and Sunken Meadow State Park. Go through the parking lot to find the Greenbelt. After the boardwalk, there aren’t nearly as many people on the beach as there are at the boardwalk. From the Greenbelt there are views of the Sunken Meadow from the bluffs, a meadow on the sound that you can see at low tide, but gets covered up at high tide. You have to be careful to stay on the trail so you won’t erode the bluffs.
About an hour or so from the boardwalk, you’ll reach the north end of the Greenbelt Trail! It’s not as pretty over here as it was from the bluffs, but it’s still worth looking at the end of the most historic trail on Long Island, except for the trails in Walt Whitman State Park and maybe in Montauk. From there, you can follow the beach back to the boardwalk unless it’s high tide. During low tide, you can wade to one of the nearby islands, but be careful because sometimes the center of the island has a rope around it preventing acess, because these places preserve endangered birds.
When you get back to the boardalk, follow the beach back to the stairs, where you could either take the Greenbelt or the road near the banks of the Nissequogue back to the trailhead. Right next to the trailhead, there are barbecue grills where you can have a nice meal after your hike. While my friends were making the chicken, the hot dogs, and the hamburgers, I explored the Greenbelt in the other direction. It was very quiet. I had the whole trail to myself. First it went around a lake. Then it went through a nice, quiet forest. There was a great view of a body of water along the way. I’m not sure if it was the lake or the Nissequogue River. Soon I got to a street. I think it was either St. Johnland Rd. or Old Dock Rd. I’m pretty sure the road is the park boundary. I went back to eat with my friends and family. It was a nice side trip. From the barbecue grills to what I think is the park boundary-I would estimate about half a mile one way.
Anyway, no matter how you explore these two state parks, it’s a lot of fun. And keep up the good work, Jason!