Massapequa (Peter J. Schmitt) Preserve

Description

Massapequa Preserve is a 432 acre preserve located near Merrick Road and Ocean Avenue, in Massapequa. There are many entrances to the southern end of the park. There is a large, gravel parking area near Lakeshore Drive. There are no dedicated, handicapped parking spaces here.

Paved walking, jogging, biking paths are flat.There are several wooden, foot bridges that have slight inclines. There are few benches along the paths. One can walk along and follow the stream. There are some fishing spots (permit required).

There are no restrooms or other services.

Checklist

Attraction Type:  park, kid-friendly
Surface of lot:  gravel
Distance to venue:  close to one section
Transportation to venue offered:  na
Terrain:  flat, except for several wooden foot bridges
Places to rest:  na
Paths and walkways:  main paths are paved, off-shoots are not
Doors:  na
Number of floors:  na
Elevators:  na
Ramps:  small incline on footbridges
Steps and staircases:  none
Width of aisles:  na
Places to sit:  five benches in the two mile stretch we walked
Location of restrooms:  no restrooms here
Type of restroom:  na
Ease of entry and exit:  na
Baby changing station:  na
Available food services:  none
Friendliness of staff:  no staff
Notes:  * The large parking lot off Lakeshore Drive is gravel. There is a small parking area with one handicapped(van) accessible space at the Sunrise Highway entrance.

Read More

I need to give my niece a big thank you for telling us about Massapequa Preserve. This is yet another venue we had never really visited. We, unknowingly, have been to parts of it, farther north. As my niece  described this  lovely place for walking, jogging and biking, I was ready for a visit.

On Father’s Day morning we set out to explore the southern section, which  my research said was the most interesting.  Apparently, there are various entrances. We found our way to the entrance near the ball fields (near Lakeshore Drive.) The large parking area is all gravel, without any dedicated handicapped parking . If gravel is a problem, let your passenger off at the edge of the parking area, at the paved walkway.  

Once you are off the gravel, you can walk for miles on almost flat, paved paths that are shared by walkers, joggers and bikers. Beware that there are no signs indicating where you are or where you are going. We had to ask several people which way to go. We were told to go “left.” They said that the path towards Sunrise Highway was the most scenic. We think they were right (although we need to check the others out).  As we shared the  shady path with other walkers and bikers, we were treated to beautiful scenery. We followed the stream, which opened up to some spots where people were fishing. Trees, plants and  flowers made us feel like we were in a secret garden, rather than in the middle of Nassau County, with backyards just feet away. We stopped to watch the ducks and a family fishing. We also found some very large swans at the edge of one of the three “lakes.” 

Our two mile walk to the Sunrise Highway entrance only had four or five benches along the way.  It would have been nice to have a few more. Except for several wooden foot bridges that have an incline, the walk is pretty flat. The pavement is well cared-for. When we reached Sunrise HIghway, we found a small parking area with one handicapped (van) accessible space and about ten other spots. The sign says, “no LIRR parking.” Not too far to the right is the end of the LIRR parking lot. If you go on the weekend, and want to park  here, know that there is no permit parking on weekends.

We were told that one can walk completely around the lake, but after Sunrise Highway, the path is not paved. We may check that path out next time, but today we decided to go back the way we came.

Our walk back was just as lovely as our walk towards Sunrise Highway.  You can go as far as you like. If you park where we did, know that it is about 3/4 of a mile before you come to a bench. That being said, this is an easily accessible, beautiful, relaxing place to visit. 

The only downside might be the lack of restrooms. If you can deal with that, we definitely recommend visiting.

Destination:Accessible usually recommends visiting a venue’s website when planning a visit. In this case we got more information from  http://www.massapequapreserve.com">www.massapequapreserve.com (a private site) than from the town’s official website, http://www.nasaucountyny.gov/Peter-J-Schmitt-preserve">www.nasaucountyny.gov/Peter-J-Schmitt-preserve. 

We hope you will visit. We know we will be back!

Location

Nearby