Avalon Park and Preserve

One of the best kept secrets in the Three Village Area of the North Shore of Long Island is Avalon Park and Preserve, located at 200 Harbor Road, Stony Brook.  It is located on the west side of the Mill Pond, across the street from the Grist Mill.  It is owned and operated by the Paul Simons Foundation.  The Foundation honors the memory of Paul Simons and celebrates his love of the outdoors.  The Park and Preserve combined with the Nature Conservancy's East Farm Preserve provide over one hundred forty acres of natural habitat to enjoy.

The entrance to Avalon Park is marked with a beautiful wooden gate which leads to you to a wooden path along the Mill Pond.  Below is the view from inside the park looking eastward to the Pond.

If you turn around the pond goes under the wooden walk to a smaller pond, Green Pond, that is located behind the caretakers house.  There are stone waterfalls into this smaller pond area which is surrounded by beautiful foliage.

After you pass the Pond you head up some stone stairs.  Here is the view looking back towards the Pond though the trees.

At the top of the stairs you can continue to the trails or head to the labyrinth.  The labyrinth was being re-seeded after the heavy foot traffic season of the summer so getting close was not possible, but the stones in the back provided a stunning background to the inlaid stones on the ground.

The park is so large and we wanted to spend 1 hour walking, so we headed across Rhododendron Road to the Wildflower Meadow which is located in the Avalon Preserve.  It is a large open area where the birds fly overhead and land inside the field.  There are colored markings and we followed the yellow signs.  The fall colors were spectacular and the temperatures in the 50s made it perfect for an autumn stroll through nature.  The views in the field looking back towards the treed areas were taken up with the reds, golds and yellows of the trees.

After walking through and around the meadow we headed to the dirt road known as Shep Jones Lane back down toward Harbor Road. 

Here is what you see at the exit to the park as you pull onto Harbor Road from Shep Jones Lane - a private vineyard.

If you are looking for a tranquil spot to take a walk and enjoy natural beauty head to Avalon Park and Preserve.