Sunken Forest

Long Island


This 300-year-old forest, a surprisingly dense stretch of trees behind the dunes, is easily accessible via a 1.5-mile boardwalk trail looping through it. It's pleasantly shady in summer, and vividly colored when the leaves change in fall. It's accessible by its own ferry stop (Sailors Haven, where there's also a visitor center), or a long walk in the winter season, after the ferry shuts down. Ranger-guided tours available.

The beach straight south of here is also an impressively wild, yet reasonably accessible, stretch of the island. A Sunken Forest Trail Guide is available via email from the National Park Service.


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