|
The Mulvihill Preserve
|
|
|
The 75-acre Mulvihill Preserve is the centerpiece of a 200-acre patchwork of preserves. It includes an extraordinarily beautiful oak, hickory, beech and laurel forest with views of the man-made Mulvihill Pond, streams, smaller ponds, and glacial erratics. It is a lovely hike, about four miles long. The hike begins on Brick Kiln Road, 0.4 mile north of Scuttle Hole Road, across from Bridge Lane in Bridgehampton.
Mike Bottini, a naturalist for the Group for the South Fork, writer of “South Fork Outdoors” for the Southampton Press, and author of a superb trails book, Trail Guide to the South Fork, was instrumental in designing this new trail. A small, hard-working group of trail maintainers for the Southampton Trails Preservation Society created this trail. It was dedicated on October 26, 2003. The preservation of this property was made possible through a cooperative effort by three environmentally sensitive families – the Mulvihill, Zebrowki, and Schellinger families who worked with officials from Southampton Town, The Peconic Land Trust, and Suffolk County in order to formulate a plan for the preservation of this land.
|
The trail is marked with yellow owl blazes. It runs from a 50-foot wide, half-mile long corridor through a laurel woods to the 50-acre Fair Hills Greenbelt. The trail continues past Mulvihill Pond on the left. You will cross over two small, wooden bridges. The second one crosses the stream that feeds the Mulvihill Pond; note the cement dam used to create the Pond. Approximately 60 yards past the second bridge, you will approach a woods road forming a four-way intersection. Walking to the right takes you towards private property, walking straight ahead or to the left will take you on a loop about 2.5 miles long, and bring you back to this intersection. I suggest that you begin hiking the loop by turning left rather than going straight ahead – it makes for a more scenic walk. The trail travels along the western edge of the Great Swamp. Here, it visits a huge American beech tree and a vernal pond. Continue to follow the yellow owl blazes. You will find yourself walking on a raised, linear mound dating back to the 1700’s. During this time period, when wood was scarce, these mounds were built to act as fences in order to contain livestock. You will then pass through a stand of white pine trees, planted by the Mulvihill family during the 1920’s. Soon after, you will see a Paumanok Path emblem and white rectangular blazes marking the place where this loop intersects with the Paumanok Path. Along the way, you will see both occasional yellow owl blazes and white rectangular blazes because this section of the hike encompasses both the Yellow Owl Loop and the Paumanok Path. Follow the Paumanok Path until you see two yellow owl blazes. The top blaze will be set off to the left. Go left in order to continue the Yellow Owl Loop. The loop then returns through the Greenbelt to the four-way intersection, where you walk straight across the woods road and continue back through the corridor of laurel woods to your starting point at Brick Kiln Road.
Directions to the Mulvihill Preserve:
Traveling east through Water Mill on Montauk Highway, look for Scuttle Hole Road. There is a Hess Gas Station (with restroom facilities and a mini-mart) at the corner on the north side of Montauk Highway. Scuttle Hole Road is just after that. Turn left onto Scuttle Hole Road. Travel three miles until you see Brick Kiln Road; make a left onto it. Travel 0.4 of a mile to the entrance of the trail. It is opposite Bridge Hill Lane. Park on the shoulder of Brick Kiln Road in front of the yellow and black sign with an arrow on it. The entrance to the trail can be seen from this point. You may have to get out of your car and actually walk along the shoulder, back towards Scuttle Hole Road, a very short distance before you actually find the entrance to this trail. A more formal parking area or a sign erected here would help to make this trail more user friendly.
William P.Mulvihill obituary
|
RETURN TO HIKING LONG ISLAND HOME
|
