By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Doggie Day Trip – Cold Spring Harbor, NY

If you are one that likes to hike with your dog and do a challenging trail – you have to head to Cold Spring Harbor, NY on the North Shore of Long Island and go to the Cold Spring Harbor State Park.  One of the few State parks on Long Island, (Montauk, Belmont Lake State Park), that are dog friendly.  The entrance to the trail is on Harbor road right past the village, you will pull into a gravel parking lot on the east side of Harbor Road and across the street from the boat ramp.  Recently I went with fellow Long Island Pet Professional Member Ellen Ganci of SnapDogDesigns a good friend of mine and her dog Dobby –  who you will see is the star of this doggie day trip.  A short drive from Huntington, you will find the quaint village of Cold Spring Harbor, NY.  I remember going their as a kid, never to hike but to go into their shops and have lunch – it always seemed so far away as a kid.  I did not know about this trail until the fall and have already hiked it a few times – the best part is that you can bring your pup with you, leashed of course.

This is not a hike for the faint of heart, however there were kids on the trail as well as very fit seniors hiking, as long as you and your dog are walking regularly on decent distance walks, you can do it.  The best part is you can decided how long or short you want to go. This trail is part of the greenbelt trail system on LI and you can go all the way to Plainview following this particular part of the trail.  We did about 4.5 miles round trip with Dobby and that was the perfect distance for a day trip hike with a dog.  The elevation according to my MapMyWalk app on my phone was 228 feet high – and that was multiple hills up and down!

Dobby on the way up the first part of the hike, yes, lots of steps and watch where you’re going!

Almost to the top of the very first climb. As you can see beautiful views!

If you do go for the hike, be sure to have water with your for yourself and your dog, a doggie first aid kit couldn’t hurt as their are many steps to climb over, roots,and rocks on many parks of the trails.  You should wear good sneakers for this (or hiking boots).  Watch your dog and take breaks if you need to for yourself and your pup.  If it is too warm out – it might be too much for your dog who could get easily overheated.  An morning or early evening hike, (before it gets too dark to see), may be a suitable time for this.  We went around 9am and it took under 2 hours to do the hike.

Dobby taking a sip of water!

Can you see Dobby is smiling in every picture?

Another pup we met along the way!

Here is a map of the hike we did.

Dobby was on leash the entire time, we had him pose for a few pictures ahead of us so you could see the trails.

Mini me? Little Chihuahua we met along the way, adorable!

After the hike we went into Cold Spring Harbor Village, and while some of the stores were closed there is plenty of window shopping to do with your pup, you can grab a quick bite to eat and sit outside in the village or walk down to the shore.  See some interesting facts about Cold Spring Harbor below the photos!

BOL! Couldn’t resist! That sign was in front of one of the boutiques in the village.

Cold Spring Harbor is about a 1 hour drvie from New York City and a 5 minute drive from down town Huntington Village, NY. Once a whaling village there is also a whaling museum and also home to the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery.  It’s easy to feel like you’ve stepped back in time while wandering the village and you may also see some guinea hens walking town around too!  If you do go on a doggie day trip with your pup to CSH, post your comments below and let us know!

From the NYS Parks website:
“The park is comprised of 40 acres of hilly terrain that offer scenic vistas of the Cold Spring Harbor. It features a mixed hardwood forest with notable large oak specimens that measure three feet in diameter, as well as thickets of wild mountain laurel. The area is ideal for observing spring and fall migrations of a variety of songbirds, and is home to great horned owls and red-tailed hawks. The park serves as the northern trailhead of the Nassau Suffolk Greenbelt Trail that extends to Bethpage State Park and eventually the south shore of Nassau County.”

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