Lakeland County Park

Description

Lakeland County Park is located at 176 Johnson Avenue, Islandia, NY.  There are 18 handicapped (van)-accessible spaces in the paved parking lot. The lot is next to the playground area and restrooms. Both are closed indefinitely due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. 

Wide, well-maintained boardwalks meander throughout the park. Some portions of the boardwalk have sides, some do not. The planks are even,  making it easy to navigate. There are several benches along the way.  There are also some dirt paths that are fairly flat. There are also two sensory trails.

Checklist

Attraction Type:  parks, kid-friendly
Surface of lot:  paved
Distance to venue:  close
Transportation to venue offered:  na
Terrain:  flat
Places to rest:  a few places to sit on boardwalk, benches in playground area, picnic area with tables and benches
Paths and walkways:  boardwalks and flat, dirt trails
Doors:  na
Number of floors:  na
Elevators:  na
Ramps:  several slight inclines on boardwalk
Steps and staircases:  none
Width of aisles:  boardwalk is ample, paths vary in width
Places to sit:  several benches on boardwalk, benches in playground and picnic area
Location of restrooms:  free standing building next to playground
Type of restroom:  *
Ease of entry and exit:  *
Baby changing station:  *
Available food services:  none
Friendliness of staff:  no staff when we were there
Notes:  * Due to the Covid-19 virus, restrooms, picnic area and playground were closed

Read More

This Memorial Day is certainly different from any other I remember. We wanted something pleasant to do on this lovely day. We also wanted someplace that we did not think would be crowded. Covid-19 is certainly still with us and we wanted to stay safe. Looking online for “Long Island Boardwalks” We found many of the ones we know and have been to. We found ones we thought would be crowded and several we did not know about.

The one that caught my attention was Lakeland County Park Boardwalk, in Islandia. I have never heard anything about it, not that that is all that unusual. What was unusual about my never hearing about it was what was written about it, “Lakeland Park is a fully accessible facility, designed for the disabled and their families. It includes a nature trail-boardwalk over the head-waters of the Connetquot River, with unique views of wetland vegetation, waterfowl and fish…”  I needed to check this out!

We easily found our way to the paved parking lot, with its 18 handicapped (van)-accessible spots. The parking area is next to the playground and restroom building. With the building and playground closed it is not possible to report on the restrooms or fully on the playground. I could see that some of the apparatus has a ramp to access it. I could also see that the swings are not handicapped-accessible. Hopefully we will be able to return in the not too distant future for a closer look. There is also a picnic area and gazebo nearby.

We had downloaded a map of the park at home and carried it with us as we made our way to the boardwalks. You don’t necessarily need a map as the trails are well marked. If your eyes are good enough you can look at the map on your cell phone. The boardwalks are wide and well-maintained. The planks are level throughout, with a few slight inclines. Portions of the boardwalk have sides, some do not. Sections with inclines have handrails on both sides. As we meandered along we found some benches, but not many. We made our way to Honeysuckle Pond, stopping along the way to admire the scenery.  We were rewarded with a beautiful view of the water.  A few people were feeding the ducks. There are choices for which way to go, some continue the boardwalk, some lead to relatively wide, flat dirt paths. It was very easy to navigate the entire area without ever having to get off the boardwalk.

In our approximately two hours here we saw perhaps a dozen people, none of them close. Considering that this was a nice day, and Memorial Day as well, we don’t think this is a place one has to worry about regarding social distancing. Of course, we cannot guarantee anything!

You can use the parking lot as a guide. It was pretty empty when we arrived, with only one handicapped parking spot taken. 

This is a lovely, peaceful, easily accessible, place for a quiet, scenic walk.

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

Location

Nearby