Hecksher State Park (Parking Fields 6, 7 & 8)

Description

Hecksher State Park is located at 1 Hecksher State Parkway, East Islip. These parking fields are located close to the water. Paved walkways allow one  to go to the sand.
There is an accessible playground at Field 6.
One can walk from one of these areas to the next.
Multi-stall restrooms with an accessible stall are at Field 6.
There are a good number of benches throughout.

Checklist

Attraction Type:  park
Number of accessible spaces:  a different number in each field
Location of accessible spaces:  each field has designated accessible spaces
Surface of lot:  paved
Distance to venue:  depends on where you park
Transportation to venue offered:  na
Terrain:  flat
Places to rest:  benches along the beach
Paths and walkways:  concrete, paved
Doors:  na
Number of floors:  na
Elevators:  na
Ramps:  na
Steps and staircases:  none
Width of aisles:  na
Places to sit:  benches throughout
Location of restrooms:  restrooms are located in Field 6
Type of restroom:  multi-stall, with an accessible stall
Ease of entry and exit:  easy
Available food services:  no food services in the park
Friendliness of staff:  the people who answered the phone were great
Baby changing station:  no

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Having not been to Heckscher Park in several years, we have noticed that some things have changed, some have not.

Picnic groves, large open fields, playgrounds, four miles of paved, multi-use trails, disc golf, availability of water sports, and more, along with stunning views of the Great South Bay and Fire Island in the distance, still make for a terrific experience.

We parked at Field 6, as we had previously. As of today, this is the only beach (with lifeguards beginning on June 28th), that is available for swimming. The large parking lot allows you to park close to the beach side, or close to the playground and picnic side.  There are six accessible spaces near the playground (accessible), and restroom pavilion (with an accessible stall,) as well as six accessible spaces and an accessible restroom on the beach side. The lifeguard station here is where you can borrow a beach wheelchair. They have one available, first come, first served. The beach is rather narrow, so there are no mobi mats.  If you go to the right of the restroom building you can get pretty close to the water, while remaining on the concrete.  There are also benches along the concrete path. The playground in this area seems to  accessible. There are two accessible swings, as well as some equipment that seems appropriate for kids with special needs. 

We walked along the concrete walk to Field 7, where you can park quite close to the water. If you cannot/or do not want to get out of your vehicle, this is the place to watch the water!   There are benches along the path that are also easy to access.  As we sat here to take in the beautiful view, I was thinking that this is one of the best places to be this close to the water without being on the sand.  There is no swimming allowed here. There are no facilities in this area.

From Field 7 we made our way to Field 8, which seemed deserted – the parking lot is closed as is the main building (including the restrooms).  We were told by a Park Ranger that this Field will only be used as a “spillover” area if the others get full.  In good conscience we cannot tell you what to expect here.

If you walk from Field 6 to Field 8, as we did, it is about 11/2 miles.

During our discussion with the Park Rangers, it a appears that Field 6 is the only section of the park that regularly allows swimming. 

The park has many picnic areas, playgrounds, campsites, disc golf, and four miles of paved walking trails.

As always, we at Destination Accessible, advise you to visit a venue’s website, “www.parks.ny.gov/heckscher/details,aspx,” for more information. It might also be helpful to call (631) 581-2100 for more information.  Someone actually answered each time I have called.

Location

Nearby