Heckscher State Park, Great River, East Islip

Heckscher State Park is an attractive spot for running, with several miles of trails and great views of Great South Bay. The park is located on the southern side of Long Island in East Islip, near the Great River train station. It’s the site of a former 19th century estate, preserved with the perseverance of the the famed Robert Moses. For running, there are 4 miles of paved, multi-use trails on the park’s 1,600 acres. There are also numerous large recreation fields.

Great River/East Islip neighborhood. Just north Heckscher State Park and east of the Heckscher State Parkway, the Great River neighborhood is lovely for running, with leafy streets,  attractive homes and relatively little traffic. Great River Rd. is a good main road, but there’s no shoulder/sidewalk. West of Heckscher State Parkway, there’s decent running on the residential side streets of East Islip as well. You can also run on the trails of the 690-acre Bayard Cutting Arboretum (free if you walk in, limited hours).