Directions: The Sunken Meadow State Park is located in Kings Park, Suffolk County in the Town of Smithtown, on the North Shore of Long Island, New York. It is forty-six miles from Manhattan on the northern terminus of Sunken Meadow/Sagtikus Parkway. Long Island Expressway exit 53. Vehicle Use Fees: April 5 – May 18: 8am-4pm, weekends – $8/car – May 27 – September 7: 7am – 6pm weekends and holidays; 8am-4pm weekdays – $10/car.
Contact Information: Sunken Meadow State Park, Rte. 25A and Sunken Meadow Parkway, Northport, New York 11768 Phone: (631) 269-4333, Phone: (631) 269-5351 (Golf Information) This 1,266-acre beachfront park on Long Island Sound also features a trio of 9-hole golf courses (open to Nov. 26) and a trail used for cross-country running competition.
A sign welcomes visitors to Sunken Meadow State Park, your scenic vista on the North Shore of Long Island.
The toll plaza at the Alfred E. Smith Sunken Meadow State Park.
The East Orchard Pavilion, vehicles are prohibited in this area.
Picnic area and barbeques.
The picnic area has both ground and standing barbeques.
Although there are several areas with picnicking and barbeques, this one is Field 4.
Refreshment stands and restrooms to the right.
The Sunken Meadow State Park has several children’s playgrounds.
Overview: Sunken Meadow State Park has tidal mud flats, bird sanctuary, golfer’s paradise, rolling meadows, wooded hillsides, marshes and a dam-the Sunken Meadow State Farm has only one alternate name that honors Governor Alfred E. Smith, but a serpentine list of habitats that takes one’s breath away. It also features a wide range of topography that sustains a variety of flora and fauna. The park seems to have been given an exclusive access to the Ocean by the Divine, albeit in the form of a relatively modest width of the Long Island Sound. The three miles of beach meets tall appears to be slim in proportion, with glacier-formed bluffs at the west end of the shoreline. Although more elbow room would have been welcome in the sandy bit between the surf line and regular land, the imposing towers of rocky cliffs that arise so abruptly, humble mortal humans beyond overt complaint.
Field 1 is where the main office and white sand beaches are located.
Launching and retrieving for Kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding and wind surfing is permitted from the east end of Field 3 only. Parking permits or night time fishing permits are required when the field is closed. Permits are available at the Park Office in Field 1.
Several red marked hot coal bins are found within the picnic areas.
One of two hammocks that hang between trees at the Sunken Meadow State Park.
A sign looks out warning visitors to not enter here with public vehicles near the basketball courts.
A second children’s playground, two of at least three at the park.
History: Governor Alfred E. Smith / Sunken Meadow State Park were formed from several smaller parcels but most of its original area of 520 acres was assumed from the late George B. Lamb and his wife, Antoinette Storrs Lamb. In 1928, a large section of the beach consisting of about 400 feet of frontage on Long Island Sound was carried to the State by the Town of Smithtown. Since then the park has been expanded by different acquisitions to a- total of over 1200 acres.
A sign points out the use of Native Plants.
The park office in Field 1.
A sign details animal life in the nearby waters.
A sign details animal life in the nearby waters.
Picnic tables surround the concession stand on the board walk area.
The park took its name from the low meadowland which separates the narrow sandy beach from the uplands. Access originally was by way of a quarter mile-long. Boardwalk was also erected on-stilts across the meadows and creek. Later big parking fields and a modern bridge and roadway for automobiles were constructed.
Rubber covered iron tables surround the concession stand on the board walk area.
Swimming is permitted on the beach when life guards are on duty.
A binocular ready to accept its next quarter from someone looking for an improved view of the scene.
The short boardwalk area at Sunken Meadow State Park, Field 1.
Play it safe in the sun by protecting yourself with these few tips by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Facilities: 3-mile beach, picnic area (umbrella rentals), refreshment stands (9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily to Oct. 31, then 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekends), 3 playgrounds, showers, 5 softball fields, soccer field, 4 basketball courts, 4-mile nature trail, cross-country skiing/clinics, hill sledding, fishing (permit required for night fishing to Dec. 31), 2 miles of bicycle trails, boardwalk, aid station. One mile of north end of the Suffolk Greenbelt Trail runs through park.
A sign appears as drawn by a child points out sea-life and plants in the area.
Seagulls gather around scraps for their own picnic at Sunken Meadow State Park.
Sunken Meadow Golf Course.
Sunken Meadow Golf Course driving range.
Sunken Meadow Golf Course fees and pro shop.
Sunken Meadow Golf Course driving range.
Fishing is permitted on the east end of the bridge only.
Pets: No dogs year round. .
Events: Spring golf tournament May 20, radio controlled model airplane exhibition Sept. 15, cross-country ski clinic (date not set).
Attractions:
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