Walking trails in Suffolk County? (New York, Smithtown: neighborhood, club, shopping center)

[orchid12]

Hi, we recently moved to Stony Brook, and I'm looking for places to go walking. I will usually have a stroller with me, so it needs to be stroller accessible. The places I've already been:
- SBU campus
- Lakeland County Park (awesome hidden gem!)
- Holtsville Ecology Site

I'm ideally looking for places within a half hour's drive of Stony Brook, and free parking would be nice! Any ideas would be most appreciated, as I'm trying to get exercise in, but Stony Brook doesn't have many sidewalks, so it's not practical to walk around my neighborhood with the stroller! Thanksssss!

[2011littlehouse]

My favorite trail, that can qualify for hiking (in a mountain-less place like LI is the Avalon Park & Preserve:
- Avalon Park & Preserve -

This one is NOT stroller friendly. But you can park free next to the Grist Mill or in the nearby village shopping center, and with the baby, you can go around the duck pond and a bit towards the trails. The highest you can reach is probably the memorial and the labyrinth (carrying the stroller).
W/o the baby, the actual trails are a decent exercise with hills up and down.

For walking with a stroller, my first choice would be the newly paved road along West Meadow Beach. After they removed the cottages, that road is very nice for jogging or walking with a stroller. You can park free at the beach parking lot (in the summer, address on your driver's license will be enough to show).

Another stroller-friendly short trail is at the Setauket Mill Pond.
Mill Pond - Setauket New York - photo essay | Gather
You can park free on Main Street across the old Setauket post office. The paved trail is very short but picturesque.

Just a bit further is:
Caleb State Park & Preserve (off 25, Smithtown)
Caleb Smith State Park Preserve - NYS Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation
Free parking. Only portions are walkable with a stroller. Interesting vegetation.

About 35min from SB:
Smith Point County Park & Preserve (Shirley, NY)
Smith Point County Park - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Off-season parking is free. There are a couple of stroller-friendly areas - around the TWA flight memorial and at the beach front, and separately, a trail through the preserve that parallels the beach.

[orchid12]

Wow!! That was very very helpful! Thank you so much! This'll give me a lot to work with yay

[MrBitterness]

There is one on Pond Path, about 1/2 way between Nicholls and Stony Brook Rd is where the parking lot is.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by MrBitterness

There is one on Pond Path, about 1/2 way between Nicholls and Stony Brook Rd is where the parking lot is.

How is that little park? I thought it was for Lake Grove residents, but I could be wrong.

You can pick up a paved path in Setauket on Gnarled Hollow, just below the LIRR crossing and the body shop. Parking is right there. The path is paved and is open to pedestrians and bicycles.

[OhBeeHave]

In addition to the park by the Setauket Mill Pond, there is unpaved paths through the Three Village Arboretum. The Bates Rd is the driveway which is on Main St sort of at the corner of Dyke and Main . There is a small marker.

Three Village Garden Club - Sanctuary & Arboretum

[Crookhaven]

Cedar Beach has a beautiful trail for strollers.

And I second the Bird Sanctuary in Setauket.

[Lancet71]

Heritage Park in Mount Sinai. They have a designed walking path but also have a little kids park and a vendor shack as well. It is just east right by where route 83 cuts in.

[JonnyTrees]

I've taken strollers to Avalon. With a stroller, skip the section by the pond, unless you want to take stroller up the stairs (I don't recommend). If you park by the mill, walk up Harbor Rd until you get to Rhododendron Dr, turn left and pick up the trail to the meadow section of Avalon. You can also access the paved walk in Avalon from here, though its pretty short. I'd recommend a 3 wheeled stroller if you have one. You can also park at Shep Jones lot and access the area from there. The paths are dirt/grass just so you are aware.