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).
Arboretum. Flickr: pshutterbug
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).
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Essentials
Parking lots at Heckscher State Park; Train station: Great River
Hempstead Lake State Park is a great spot for running, with scenic trails around the namesake lake and three ponds. Trail runners will enjoy the 3-mile Bridle Path around the lake. There's also a paved, 2.4-mile bike path.
Wonderful beach and boardwalk running. At Long Beach, a festive boardwalk runs for 2.2 miles along the beach. At Jones Beach, there are miles of running, including the Jones Boardwalk and two longer multi-use paths. Beach also runnable.
Eisenhower Park is one of the larger parks on Long Island and has numerous fitness/recreational facilities, including 3-4 miles of jogging trails. There's attractive residential running near Westbury Ctr., in Old Westbury, and some sections of Roslyn.
Run the lawns of the former Guggenheim estate in Sands Point Preserve, or enjoy pleasant residential neighborhood running near the Port Washington train station and around the Plandome/Manhasset neighborhoods.
Oyster Bay is one of the prettiest spots on Long Island. For a lovely waterfront run, use W Shore Rd. to West Harbor Beach Memorial Park. Great views and a decent sidewalk. We also love running on Cove Neck Rd. to the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.
Run a section of Long Island's longest paved multi-use trail, which passes through several parks and wetlands preserves. The 11.3 mile path runs between Plainview/Old Bethpage and Massapequa. Additional paths and trails in the parks.
A multi-use path passing through three parks and around two lakes in Babylon: Belmont Lake State Park, Southards Pond Park, and Argyle Park. The full out and back route is 8 miles, including the lake loops. Mainly wooded, with some water views.
3,400 acre preserve features 50+ miles of trails, with something for runners of all abilities. It's at the midway point of Long Island, between the Sunrise Highway and the L.I. Expressway. Five color-coated trails. More trail running than road running.
The mainly residential town of Smithtown has some pleasant running. Several miles of wooded trails in Blydenburgh County Park and Caleb Smith State Park. The leafy residential streets west of the parks are quiet and good for running.
The highlights of running in Kings County are Sunken Meadows State Park, which has an attractive Boardwalk Trail with views of Long Island Sound and some nice interior trails; the 1.5 mile Kings Park Hike & Bike Trail; and some nice neighborhood streets.
Southhaven County Park has some narrow, wooded paths that are good for trail running. A good road running option is the separated bike lane on River Rd. (2.6 miles). The Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge has some pretty trails for running.
On Long Island's North Fork, there's pretty running in the seaport village of Greenport. Explore the attractive residential side streets, and then out to Youngs Point. Also nice running on country roads in Orient, past farms and vineyards.
Our dedicated Hamptons Running Guide features 1-2 iconic routes in each of the major towns, from west to east: Westhampton, Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, and Montauk. Includes Fire Island.
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Essentials
Parking lots at Heckscher State Park; Train station: Great River
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