Long Island Running: The Greenbelt Trail

The only good map I could find of the trail

Note: Reposting from Reading, Running and Red Sox, slightly edited for clarity.

I used to work for CA Technologies, an enterprise software company that was snapped up by Broadcom years ago. They were headquartered in Islandia, NY, in the middle of Long Island, and so a few times a year I would take the New London ferry to the western tip of the island and drive west past a surprising amount of wineries that fade away in favor of suburbian development (strip malls and box stores). Boring running. And since i'm always on the lookout for trails, I eventually stumbled across the Greenbelt Trail. It's extremely difficult to find any information on it so here's a rundown of my experiences for any of you looking for some Long Island Trail Running.

I stay at the Hyatt next to Hidden Pond Park in Hauppauge, NY. By looking carefully, I was able to find the entrance to the trail on the north side of Long Island Motor Parkway,a simple split in a chain-link fence overgrown with vines. Once inside, I slowly jogged the loose gravel up and down a few steep, rolly hills. This first portion of the trail system - just north of the Park - consists of interconnected trails, some single track, and some wider ones obviously designed for mountain bikes. Continuing north, I dropped down a steep hill into Hidden Pond Park itself, where the path flattens out near the swimming pool and baseball fields. There are a number of trails winding around this complex, but if you keep heading north, you'll find yourself in a narrow right-of-way between single-family homes and a golf course. Despite all of this proximity to buildings, all of my runs on the Greenbelt Trail were quiet and isolated - I think I've seen one other person in all of the times I've run there.

I should mention the strange blaze system in the HPP. White blazes mark the main trail, but when coming to a fork or change in direction, there are two white blazes - the second one to ostensibly indicate the change in direction, but it's somewhat confusing as these are interspersed with blazes of different colors. I haven't determined the reasoning behind these markings, nor have I seen a trail map anywhere. Regardless, once you hit the golf course, the trail is unmistakable.

After crossing Townline Road, the trail becomes more rural, following a stream and a few tranquil bodies of water. The local Boy Scouts have constructed a number of helpful wooden bridges over the more marshy portions. (Thanks!) The trail twists and turns, is overgrown with vines, and has a lot of exposed roots, making it difficult to keep up a fast pace, but you'll want to take it slow to enjoy the silence and to see all of the rabbits bouncing out of your path.

The most challenging part is traversing Route 347. It's essentially a highway, with no crosswalk or lights nearby, so you just have to sprint across when you find a break in the traffic. The effort is worth it because the next section goes through some sweet, quiet conifer forests where the pine needles just swallow up the sound of footfalls. The trail continues from here all of the way to the North Shore, but i've only gone as far as the shopping center in Smithtown. Click here to see my longest northbound run on Strava here.

The section southbound from Hauppauge is located directly across the road from the northbound trail on Long Island Motor Parkway. Here, the trail follows the power lines for a bit, weaves through some significant rolling hills with evergreen trees before dropping down to Old Nichols Road. On the other side of the road, the trail is pleasantly flat, meandering around some horse farms before meeting up with the power lines again. At this point, I lost the trail - the map indicates that the trail continues down to the Long Island Expressway, (somehow) crossing it en route to the southern edge of the island. Here's what this portion of the run looks like. I hoped to find my way further southbound - there are some nice looking Strava segments south of the interstate - but Broadcom quickly shut down the office and made my commute miserable so I haven't been back in years.
 

If you're in the area, be sure to look for the trail - it really is quite enjoyable. If you find yourself there and find this post useful, let me know - i'm curious to hear if the trails are still maintained.