Mileage - under 1 mile
Terrain - Sandy Dunes, Cranberry Bogs, near Napeague Harbor
Difficulty - Easy
This is easily one of the most beautiful hikes I've done on Long Island. Maybe it was because we ventured out during the sunset and it cast a beautiful glow over the water and sands of the dunes. Maybe it is because I've become accustomed to hiking in the woods and the stark difference was something new and awe-inspiring. Maybe it was the solitude shared with a loved one in the discovery of a new trail. In either case, this is a lesser known and less traversed trail on Long Island and I'm revealing it here.
The trail head can be found at the very end of Napeague Harbor Road, (off of Route 27A or Montauk Hwy,) which comes to a dead end at a gorgeous viewpoint to Napeague Harbor. The parking here is just along side the road. There isn't much traffic out here this time of year, although I imagine it is more voluminous in summertime when everyone flocks to the beaches of the east end. This time of season is most ideal for hiking on the island as ticks have died down. I wouldn't recommend hiking in most places on the east end in the spring and summer as ticks and lyme disease are prevalent. I read that deer ticks are still active when the temperatures are above the freezing point in any season, so it is still important to do tick checks after hiking. On the drive to the Walking Dunes, you'll pass over the white blazed Paumanok Path which crosses Napeague Harbor Road and we'll get to this hike in the next post! Onward to the dunes...
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| An informational sign on Napeague Harbor |
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| The end of the road looking out towards the harbor |
This is a nice place to sit and eat lunch or walk along the water. Goldberg's famous bagels are just a few minutes down the road and you can grab a fresh bagel and sit and watch a sunrise or sunset.
The trail is very clearly marked and is a short enjoyable loop. Follow the sign indicating the Walking Dunes Trail.
In reading the sign that has been posted you'll see that the Dunes are labeled as "Walking" due to their ever shifting nature. The force of winds constantly shape and change them. It is a unique place and important to be respectful of the area to keep it preserved.
We take a short walk and go up and over a small dune to come out at the viewpoint below.
The sun is just setting and it is a beauty that can't be grasped fully behind the lens of a camera. I grab a shot of my beau as he looks beyond the dunes to the sun that is trying to hide behind the clouds as it quietly recedes below the horizon, but failing to make it's daily disappearing act without an overt rainbow of colors that burst in the darkening sky.
Below a handful of people play on the dunes silhouetted against the backdrop of the sky.
We turn around at the tunnel and decide to come back in a day or two to search for some cranberries when we have the time of daylight on our side.
Here we are again. We start from the opposite side this time as we've just reached here after finishing off a section of the Paumanok Path that looped around along the waters of the Harbor.
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Here we reach a sign telling us about the Phantom Forest, the forest that disappears due to the shifting dunes.
The reason this hike originally got onto my wish list of hikes is because I read you can pick cranberries here. I was pretty excited to check out the bogs, but unfortunately when we found the area containing the cranberries it was roped off for restoration and it appeared most of the cranberries had been picked and were reaching past season. Picking season is mid september to late november I believe.
There were a few lone cranberries close to the ground nearby so we did happen upon a few.
The few that we found.
After some searching we hiked back out. I was a little disappointed in the cranberry bog part of the hike, but will have to try another time earlier in the season. Picking berries on hikes is always fun, whether it be cranberries in the marshy bogs of Long Island, the blueberries of upstate NY or the Huckleberries of Northern Montana.
I really enjoyed this hike and it made me appreciate the beauty of Long Island that's held in secret places.
This hike is also adjacent to Hither Hills State Park that offers more hiking opportunities.
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| A last view of the sun setting |
