Trails on Long Island include more than 200 miles (320 km) of paved and unpaved trails for mountain bikers and road cyclists. The New York Times has reported that "for bikers the lure of Long Island is unsurpassed."[1]

One Long Island-based bicycle club, Concerned Long Island Mountain Bicyclists, also known as CLIMB, built a legal mountain bike trail network in New York City in Queens’ Cunningham Park.[2] In 2007 the New York State Department of Transportation completed Long Island's first long-distance signed bike route from Cold Spring Harbor to the Orient Point ferry terminal.[3]

Trails on Long Island in alphabetical order[4]
Name Notes
Bethpage Bikeway Thirteen miles of paved, car-free mult-use trail. Northern point begins at Woodbury Road & Sunnyside Boulevard in Woodbury, continues through Trail View State Park, Bethpage State Park, and Massapequa Preserve along the length of the Bethpage State Parkway. Southern terminus is at Merrick Road.
Bethpage Mountain Bike Trail Four miles from Bethpage State Park gatehouse, white triangles mark the off-road, marked loop trail.
Cathedral Pines County Park Six mile single track mountain bike trail (9 miles (14 km) including the advanced black diamond designated sections). Maintained by CLIMB (Concerned Long Island Mountain Bicyclists). A Suffolk County Green Key card is required and there is a parking fee on weekends during the summer.
Calverton Mountain Bike Trail Beginner to intermediate single track. 8-½ mile loop. 1-½ miles of optional advanced hill climbs. Helmets and eye protection are required. FREE NYS DEC Permit Required
Central Suffolk Bikeway 80 miles (130 km) of marked street route begins at Bethpage State Park and runs along Quaker Meeting House Road, Bethpage Road and Main Street to the Farmingdale (LIRR station). It then follows the railroad line into Riverhead. LIRR bike boarding passes are available for a $5 one-time fee.
Eastport Trail Eight and one half mile off-road trail in Eastport. A free permit from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is required.[5]
Governor Alfred E. Smith / Sunken Meadow State Park Many miles of unmarked trails both north and south of 25a
Heckscher State Park Sixteen miles of trails
Hempstead Lake State Park Some unmarked trails around the lake that are shared with horses so be sure to yield to them. Stop and ask if ok to pass.
Jones Beach State Park Eight and one half miles. This trail is regarded by some as the best on Long Island.[6]
Kings Park Hike and Bike Trail Follows an old railroad spur from Old Dock Road just east of Church Street to St. Johnland Road.
Long Island Motor Parkway Former motor road
Nassau-Suffolk Greenbelt Mountain Bike Trail Eight miles of unpaved, off-road National Recreation Trail marked for mountain bikes
Orient Beach State Park The main 2.2-mile (3.5 km) bike path can be found mostly along Orient Park Road (NYS Ref. Route 900C), the 0.3-mile (0.48 km) Roy Latham Trail Loop east of the beach parking lots, and 2.4-mile (3.9 km) of unmarked trails west of the beach parking lots.[7]
Rocky Point Mountain Bike Trail 13-mile (21 km) marked trail through the Natural Resources Management Area in the Pine Barrens.[8] Helmets and eye protection are required. FREE NYS DEC Permit Required
Sears Bellows County Park
Stillwell Woods Mountain Bike Trail Regarded by some as the best off-road trail on Long Island.[9]
Montauk County Park
Trail View State Park
Edgewood Oak Brush Plains Preserve Miles of trails in Preserve managed by the NYS DEC. Helmets and eye protection are required. [1]

References

  1. ^ Scholem, R.J. and Starkey, J. (1997) "A Few Fine Trips for the Two-Wheel Set", New York Times. September 28, 1997.
  2. ^ "Featured Grants: Cunningham Park Trails" Archived 2007-12-23 at the Wayback Machine, Bikes Belong Coalition. Retrieved 12/28/07.
  3. ^ Maloney, J. (2007) "State tries to make LI more bike-friendly," Archived 2007-11-10 at the Wayback Machine Newsday. March 21, 2007.
  4. ^ "CELEBRATE NATIONAL BIKE MONTH ON LONG ISLAND’S SCENIC TRAILS", Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau and Sports Commission. Retrieved 12/28/07.
  5. ^ Eastport Mountain Bike Trail Map. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved 12/28/07.
  6. ^ "Jones Beach Bike Path" Archived 2005-09-02 at the Wayback Machine, Trails.com. Retrieved 12/28/07.
  7. ^ Orient Beach State Park Trail Maps (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation)
  8. ^ Rocky Point Bike Trails. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved 12/28/07.
  9. ^ "Stillwell Woods Mountain Bike Trail", SingleTracks.com. Retrieved 12/28/07.

External links

Hiking trails in New York
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