Best Bike Paths in the Long Island Area

There are many parks on Long Island, some of which offer excellent biking trails. Here is a little bit about some of these parks with biking and hiking trails that I have frequented.

Argyle Park, in the village of Babylon, if you feel like going around and around a racetrack. Argyle Lake is near the bike-commuter friendly Long Island railroad, refreshments, and the view of the lake, the white bridge/arch, and the friendly large birds is also magnificent. Some people bike to and from local beaches from this park, after walking their bike across Route 27A, Montauk Highway, carefully. There are also bike shops, camping equipment shops, and food stores in the village. This is a great place to warm up and tune-up your bike before going to one of the small beaches along the Great South Bay, or perhaps to Belmont Lake State Park. I like this unpaved bike trail, due to its proximity to shopping and the friendly staff of the Babylon railroad station, as well as for the view of the swans, the ducks, and the other birds while bicycling or walking around the trail.

Bethpage State Park, in Farmingdale which is between the Bethpage and the Farmingdale railroad stations. These extensive trails are well-maintained, and are great for biking. The park itself has recently undergone renovations, and is definitely well-maintained. I am not that familiar with this park, and have trouble finding the refreshment stand here, although, the bathroom facilities and the drinking fountains are pretty easy to find. I think that there is a vending machine by the park office, however, I am not too sure of this. Part of this park is a golf course, this is the part of the park that people aside from golfers must not venture onto. Still, this area of the park has a road with a more than adequate bike trail going by. There are many trails in this park, some of which I have not gone through as of this writing. The months of May and September find this park to be crowded, due to its proximity to the local State University of New York.

Then, there is Belmont Lake State Park, in Farmingdale which has a few weekender crowded bike trails, during the summer. There are boat rentals around the lake, and there are crowds of people there, who are regular visitors. Thus, despite the fact that the trails are well-maintained, the bicyclist who goes here should maintain a slow speed, and be careful of oncoming pedestrian traffic, especially on weekends (except during the winter months), or during the summer. The neighboring communities contain properties that are on tiny lots, having no acreage, thus this park is the greater part of their backyard.

Eisenhower Park , with entrances in Uniondale and Westbury, is a good park to visit for both the walking as well as the biking. There are also plenty of distractions at this park, such as free concerts, free plays, and other live entertainment. During these times, there are tipsy local tourists galore on the premises, bobbling about the trails, and getting off the bike to walk around these people without getting upset may happen. The park is easily accessible, and is near buses, trains, refreshments and stores.

Sunken Meadow Park, in Kings Park is located on the North Shore, and has a few bike trails, some of which are frequently sand-swept trails. The views of the Long Island Sound are spectacular. There is a beach house that cannot be missed from the parking lot, the trails go through the park, near the beach, and the drawback here is that there is no way to the park without having a vehicle to get there.

Jones Beach, south of Wantagh, also has bike trails and a board walk, is a lovely bark, and is frequently almost deserted during the week, between September and May. The last time I visited, there were more geese there than people. There is an extensive sidewalk which doubles as a bike trail during these off-peak times. Most winters, the snowfall here is pretty scanty, thus bicycling can be done at Jones Beach throughout the fall, winter, and most of the spring.

I liked Tackapausha Park and the Wilderness Preserve in Massapequa, and Massapequa Park for wilderness and the scenery. Not very well-maintained trails, but fun to go through, it is a place to bring your basic bicycle, if you do not mind walking it in some places. Please, if you bring the trash in, take it out with you, or deposit it at the receptacles in the picnic area, instead of throwing it at the animals while biking through, thank you.

Hecksher State Park in East Islip, is a highly rated park which is huge. A lot of people go here, so, I tend to avoid this location without guests, friends, pals, or family going along, too. The place is a community gathering area, it has bike trails, it is also probably a great place to bring your bicycling club members. There are bathrooms, there is a picnic area, and people will give you directions around the park if you get lost on the way out, or need to find the nearest refreshment stand. From what I have heard and read, this park gets crowded, and there is a lot of camping going on, so if you really get lost here, there is no problem.

Hempstead Lake Park in West Hempstead has trails, tennis courts, and is a pleasant place to visit during the day or in the early evening. The park closes, this is not the place to bring your bicycle for a midnight run, no matter how nice everyone is during the day. Please avoid visiting this park after hours, even though it may be tempting, as the park is well-lighted and the trails are comfortable, even if you are in the area. The bike trails are great at Hempstead Lake Park, smooth, not completely flat, not too hilly, although the view is not the best, it is still pretty, and great for people-watching.

Then, there is that bike trail in Plainview and Syosset behind the Northern State Parkway, on the south side of the parkway. It is not an official trail, and it is difficult to locate, however, I like it, and there are few places where a person needs to dismount the bike in order to continue going along the trail.