Cold Spring Harbor State Park is a
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...
located on
New York State Route 25A
New York State Route 25A (NY 25A) is a state highway on Long Island in New York (state), New York, United States. It serves as the main east–west route for most of the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, running ...
in the
Town of Huntington in
Suffolk County,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
. The hilly park opened in 2000 and offers scenic views of
Cold Spring Harbor on the north shore of
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
.
History
Cold Spring Harbor State Park occupies land purchased by New York State in the 1960s; it was originally intended to host part of a bridge to
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
or
a parkway proposed by
Robert Moses
Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid-20th century. Moses is regarded as one of the most powerful and influentia ...
. After the bridge failed to materialize, the land was largely forgotten although it remained under the jurisdiction of the
New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The unused parcel was eventually brought to the attention of state officials by a librarian seeking space for a new library in
Cold Spring Harbor, and was officially dedicated as a state park in 2000.
[
]
Description
The park,[ consisting mostly of steep wooded slopes, is intended to retain a natural, undeveloped character.][ It facilitates passive recreation including hiking, birdwatching (including ]great horned owl
The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air") or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extreme ...
s and red-tailed hawk
The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members of ...
s), snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.[
The park is linked to ]Bethpage State Park
Bethpage State Park is a New York state park on the border of Nassau County and Suffolk County on Long Island. The park contains tennis courts, picnic and recreational areas and a polo field, but is best known for its five golf courses, inc ...
by Trail View State Park, a linear park built on the former right-of-way
A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...
for the Caumsett State Parkway
The Caumsett State Parkway (also known as the Caumsett Parkway) was a proposed controlled-access parkway on the North Shore of Long Island, New York, between Plainview in Nassau County and the Caumsett State Historic Park in Lloyd Harbor, ...
and the proposed northern extension of the Bethpage State Parkway
The Bethpage State Parkway (or simply the Bethpage Parkway) is a controlled-access highway, controlled-access Parkways in New York, parkway in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County on Long Island, New York (state), New York, in the United State ...
.
See also
* List of New York state parks
This is a list of state parks in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Also listed are state golf courses, seasonal hunting areas, and ''former'' state parks.
In New York, state parks are managed by the New York State Office of Parks, R ...
References
External links
New York State Parks: Cold Spring Harbor State Park
{{authority control
State parks of New York (state)
Parks in Suffolk County, New York
Protected areas established in 2000
2000 establishments in New York (state)