Caumsett State Historic Park & Preserve

Description

Caumsett is located at 25 Lloyd Harbor Road, Lloyd Harbor, NY. Parking is either on gravel or grass. There are at least 10 accessible spaces between the two designated parking areas.

There is a paved, two mile path from the parking areas to the main house and view of Oyster Bay Harbor. There are four sets of benches (on the grass) from the parking area to the main house. 

There are restrooms in two locations. One is located in a building near the parking areas. There are multi-stall, restrooms with an accessible stall, and an accessible, family restroom with a baby-changing station. It is necessary to traverse cobblestones to reach it. The other restrooms, multi-stall with an accessible stall, are located at the other end of the paved path, in the Masters' Garage, near the main building. It is necessary to traverse an unpaved area to get to them.

Checklist

Attraction Type:  parks
Number of accessible spaces:  10+
Location of accessible spaces:  in both parking areas
Surface of lot:  gravel, grass, dirt
Distance to venue:  depends on where you have to park
Transportation to venue offered:  no
Terrain:  paved main path, first mile is flat, second mile a bit "up and down"
Places to rest:  four sets of benches(set back about 15 feet on the grass) in the two mile walk to the main house
Paths and walkways:  main walkway paved, other trails not paved
Doors:  na
Number of floors:  na
Elevators:  na
Ramps:  na
Steps and staircases:  none
Width of aisles:  na
Places to sit:  four sets of benches set back about 15 feet on the main two mile road
Location of restrooms:  One set located near parking area, other restrooms located in Masters' Garage (at other end of paved walk)
Type of restroom:  both building have multi-stall, with accessible stall and wheelchair-accessible sinks. Restroom near the parking area has an accessible family restroom with baby-changing station
Ease of entry and exit:  OK - doors were all open
Baby changing station:  yes
Available food services:  none
Friendliness of staff:  We did not interact with anyone.

Read More

Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve consists of “1350 acres of land situated on a scenic peninsula extending into Long Island Sound.” (web) It has bridle paths, walking, jogging, hiking, cross-country skiing and nature trails, in a beautiful setting. It was named by Marshall Field after its Matinecock Indian name, which means “place by a sharp rock.” (web) It was acquired by New York State in 1961 and we are lucky enough to have it open for all to enjoy. It is a beautiful place, amazing to think that it was home to one family. It is lovely to walk the path and take in nature all around.

An unusually warm, April day brought us back again. Parking was easy. We had a choice of paved lots. As we drove to park we noticed at least 10 accessible spaces in both areas.

As we exited the car, I wondered if anything had changed regarding benches along the two mile paved road from the parking lot to the other end, where one may be able to get a beautiful view of Long Island Sound.

I had remembered the park as having a wide, well-paved path from the parking area, past the stables, and on to the main house and hill overlooking Oyster Bay Harbor. It is fairly even for the first mile or so, then it becomes a bit of an up and down walk. I also remembered that there were not many places to rest along the way. As we began our walk I was sad to see that my memory was correct.  For the two mile walk, there are four sets of benches about 1/2 mile apart, none of which is close to the path. They are set back  about 15 feet on the grass, which could make it difficult for someone who has a mobllity challenge to easily access them. It would certainly be difficult to push a wheelchair over to them. I realized that it was foolish of me, but I thought that perhaps they might have added some seating! They did not.The trip is about two miles each way. When you reach “the Master’s Garage,” where there are restrooms, you will find some picnic tables and benches.

It is unfortunate that, if you want to see the gorgeous view of the Harbor, you need to walk a gravel path around the main house. In the back, the path ends and one must walk on the grass to take in the view.  There are two benches on the grass, not exactly easy for the mobility challenged. For the hardy, it is possible to go down the steep hill to the water. We walked part of the way down, until it got too steep for me. If you can do it,  it is lovely.

We were happy to find one of the two benches at the top of the hill empty. We sat down to enjoy the view of this beautiful, clear, October day. 

Restrooms are located at either end of the park. Near the parking areas, there are multi-stall restrooms in the building.  These buildings are not on the paved path.The stones that have been put there are smooth.  The multi-stall restroom has a large accessible stall and wheelchair-accessible sinks. This building also has a large, accessible, family restroom, complete with a baby-changing station.  Lovely benches have been placed in this “courtyard.” The other restrooms are in the “Master Garage”  building, near the main house. Although it is fairly flat, there is no paved path to this building. There are several picnic tables and benches here.

Even with these downsides, Caumsett is a beautiful place, even if you can only manage part of it.

As always, we at Destination Accessible, advise you to visit a venue’s website, http://www.parks.ny.gov">www.parks.ny.gov, when planning a visit, to “know before you go.” 

Location

Nearby