montauk parks

Several groups offer guided walks throughout the year. Information about our parks and guided hikes of Montauk's trails are conducted by the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society www.hike-li.com and the Nature Conservancy.

Camp Hero State Park

This 755 acre State Park formerly housed U.S. Army and U.S. Airforce bases. Several buildings, bunkers, batteries, and an old radar building (a National Historic Site) remain, although they remain off limits to the public. Roads cross the park, along with an extensive system of trails for hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding. The park features a beach suitable for surfcasting, a picnic area, and old maritime forests. Enter the park at the main entrance (North Gate) a half mile west of the Montauk Point Lighthouse, and park at one of two small parking fields. Open daily year round from sunrise to sunset. Fee for taking your car in the park is $6. For more information about guided nature walks, historical tours, and environmental programs, call the park office. 668-3781.

Hither Hills State Park

Located four miles west of the Village of Montauk on Old Montauk Highway, with a two and a half mile beach along the Atlantic Ocean fronting 1,755 acres of parkland. Hither Hills has 168 campsites along with hiking and nature trails. Activities include ocean swimming, saltwater fishing, a 40-acre freshwater pond, weekly square dancing, movies, and children's programs. Non-campers welcome, but must pay an $8 daily parking fee. Open year-round from sunrise to sunset. Any questions? Call the main office (668-2554). Camping from April 14 through November. Call 1-800-456-CAMP to reserve a campsite, from 8am-4pm daily, or reserve online at ReserveAmerica.com. Reservations accepted up to nine months in advance. Reserve early and be persistent; these sites book quickly for the summer season. Charges for New York State residents $24 per night or $168 per week; nonresidents $48 per night or $336 per week.

Hither Woods Preserve & Lee Koppelman Nature Preserve Kirk Park

Two adjacent preserve areas north of the Montauk Highway between Napeague and the Village of Montauk. Although not parks in the true sense, the land is open to the public with 40 miles of trails. These preserves and adjacent Hither Hills State Park are Montauk's prime mountain biking areas.

Kirk Park

A beautiful three-acre park owned by the Montauk Village Association, located just west of the Village, includes Fort Pond, the second largest freshwater lake on Long Island. Contains a picnic area, a pavilion on Fort Pond, and is next to Second House Museum which hosts many events throughout the year. Freshwater fishing permitted (license required).

Montauk Downs State Park

A 160-acre park that has an 18-hole public golf course (see Landsports). It also has a driving range and a putting green, six Har-True tennis courts, a pool, and a wading pool with spray for children. Pool open from June 24 through Labor Day, 10-5:30pm, and costs $3.50 per day for Adults, $2 for Children (free under 6), $2 for Seniors with a N.Y.S. ID card. Buy a season pass for $40 for adults, $25 for kids, and $25 for seniors. A snack bar serves at poolside. 668-5000.

Montauk Mountain

A six acre preserve area maintained by the Nature Conservancy. To get there, follow Second House Road north .7 miles to an asphalt road on the left. Follow to the end of the asphalt road and park by the Nature Conservancy sign. The preserve is at the end of the road past the last house on the right.

Montauk Point State Park

This 724-acre park at the site of the Montauk Point Lighthouse offers breathtaking views of the sea, Block Island Sound, and Block Island to the northeast, and is great for bird watching year-round and seal watching in the winter months. Park your car and set off on foot to explore the area. Ask for a Montauk Point State Park trail map at the toll booth. The park has surfcasting, five miles of marked and unmarked hiking trails, a picnic area with tables, a playground, a restaurant, a gift shop, and restrooms. Daily parking costs $6. The Montauk Point Lighthouse, a museum run by the Montauk Historical Society, is open to the public daily in-season.

Navy Road Park

Located at the western end of Fort Pond Bay near Rocky Point; has a parking lot, a deep water dock suitable for fishing, and a rocky beach. Offers easy access to trails in Hither Woods Preserve. Good place for launching kayaks and canoes. Open from sunrise to sunset year round.

Shadmoor State Park

Located two miles east of the Village on Montauk Highway, this 99 acre tract of land has a half mile of ocean frontage where tall clay cliffs plunge down to a pebble-strewn beach. If you are coming by car, park in the parking lot at the entrance to the park. About 30 percent of Shadmoor is freshwater wetlands with several small ponds hidden in the thickets. Trails and dirt roads lead to the bluffs from the entrance on Montauk Highway, offering an easy, though sometimes muddy, walk. A passive-use park, Shadmoor is home to two WWII gun implacement sites trained on offshore waters placed there to deter German submarines off Long Island's east end.

Theodore Roosevelt County Park

Two entrances: one at the end of East Lake Drive just north of the airport, where the park office is located, and the other at Third House Museum, three miles east of the Village on Montauk Highway. A total of 1,126 acres features three and a half miles of nature trails suitable for hiking (a self-guided nature trail brochure available). Also five miles of bridle paths, Third House Museum (closed for renovations), a picnic area, freshwater fishing (license required) and canoeing at Big Reed Pond, surfcasting on the outer beach, and hunting in the winter, in season. Camping is permitted for up to six days from April through November on the outer beach for four wheel drive vehicles that are self-contained camping trailers. Buy a Green Key Card at any County Park for $20, and then purchase a Suffolk County Camping Permit for $75. Fee: $12 per night. Non-Suffolk residents pay a yearly fee of $200 and $20 per night. Tents not allowed. For camping call 852-7879.

Walking Sand Dunes

Part of Hither Hills State Park on the east side of Napeague Harbor, the walking dunes are three large 100-foot high U-shaped dunes which are slowly moving southeast. To get to the dunes, head west on Montauk Highway and turn right at Napeague Harbor Road, by the Hither Hills Racquet Club. Continue over the railroad tracks straight to the end of the paved road. Park your car here and take off on foot following the path to your right. Continue on this path and you will reach the dunes.