Hither Hills State Park

Hither Hills State Park
Walking Dunes at Hither Hills State Park, 2023
Hither Hills State Park is located in New York
Hither Hills State Park
Location of Hither Hills State Park within New York State
TypeState park
Location164 Old Montauk Highway
Montauk, New York[1]
Coordinates41°01′N 72°01′W / 41.01°N 72.01°W / 41.01; -72.01
Area1,755 acres (7.10 km2)[2]
CreatedAugust 1924 (1924-08)[3]
Operated byNew York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Visitors425,642 (in 2014)[4]
OpenAll year
Camp sites168[1]
WebsiteHither Hills State Park

Hither Hills State Park is a 1,755-acre (7.10 km2) state park[2] located on the eastern end of the South Fork of Long Island near the hamlet of Montauk, New York.

History

The land that was to become Hither Hills State Park was once slated for private development of a recreational complex, including hotels, casinos, a polo field, and yacht basin, in the early 20th century. After the planned development was blocked by the Long Island State Park Commission, a portion of the private holdings were sold to New York State, who opened the 1,755-acre (7.10 km2) parcel as Hither Hills State Park in August 1924.[3]

Description

Location and access

The park is located on the South Fork of Long Island at Napeague. Three additional state parks a few miles farther east are: Montauk Downs State Park, Camp Hero State Park, and Montauk Point State Park.

The nearby hamlet of Montauk is accessible from the park via the Montauk Highway and the Montauk Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. Suffolk Transit's 10C route also serves the beach connecting it with East Hampton and Montauk, and the Amagansett, East Hampton and Montauk Long Island Rail Road stations on the Montauk Branch.

Features and amenities

The park offers a sandy, ocean beach; picnic tables; a playground; recreation programs; a nature trail; hiking; a bridle path; hunting, fishing; a campground with 168 tent and trailer sites near the ocean; cross-country skiing; and a food concession.[1] The park includes Walking Dunes Trail, featuring a view of the parabolic, migrating sand dunes, which are rare in the Eastern United States; most beach dunes are linear and do not migrate.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Hither Hills State Park". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9". 2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook (PDF). The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. 2014. p. 672. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 16, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Natural Heritage Trust; New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; New York State Council of Parks & Recreation (1975). Fifty Years: New York State Parks, 1924-1974. Natural Heritage Trust. p. 19.[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ "State Park Annual Attendance Figures by Facility: Beginning 2003". Data.ny.gov. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  5. ^ Black, John A. (1996). "The Origin and Fate of the Migrating Dunes, Napeague, N.Y." (PDF). SUNY Connect. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
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Preceded by The Hamptons Succeeded by


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