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Back by popular demand .... the East Hampton Trail Maps!

Shadmoor

Shadmoor State Park

Clay trails lead to the

highest bluffs

in Long Island

Walk the beach

where purple sands create

moments

unforgettable as sunrises in Long Island

Find unique rocks and skip

breathing

free winds

Watch the stars rise and

the day is scented in sea air

Red berries grow along hidden paths

Far away is real

Life

 
Paula Timpson

Shadmoor

For a panoramic view of Montauk’s bluffs, visit Shadmoor State Preserve.  This preserve was recently purchased through the cooperative efforts of New York State, Suffolk County, East Hampton and the Nature Conservancy.  Bordered on the north by the parkway and on the south by the ocean, you need not be overly concerned about getting lost on this 100-acre preserve.  During my last visit to the preserve a silver fox accompanied me while I viewed a wide range of birds.  The diverse habitats include woods, grasslands, shrublands and ocean.

While walking the maze of trails, you will come upon several deteriorating cement bunkers.  They were part of the communications and defense network that coordinated the large guns located at Camp Hero.  This network protected us from an ocean born attack during World War 2. It becomes obvious why this was such an ideal place to build these bunkers when you approach the breath taking panoramic view from the bluffs.  Note the gracefully fluted pinnacles along the bluff face and ravines, which provide a natural home for the large colony of bank swallows in residence.

The Park is 0.7 miles east of the Montauk village green on the south side of Route 27.  A large sign at a cleared area that will one day be a designated parking area identifies the entrance.  To protect against the possibility of being ticketed for parking alongside the Parkway, last time I visited I parked on South Fox Street, on the north side of Montauk Highway a short distance to the west.  Park on the road’s shoulder adjacent to where the Paumanok Path “parkway trail” crosses over the So. Fox Street.  You can follow this trail east until you are opposite the park entrance and then cross the road.  If you are fortunate enough to be an East Hampton Town resident you may prefer to park at the Ditch Plains bathing beach, in the residents-only lot, and enter Shadmoor via the Rheinstein Park trail.