For the final installment of 2024’s 12 for 12 posts, we’re going to a somewhat unknown preserve. The Wading River Marsh Preserve lies just beside the Shoreham marsh, the grandest of the Best of the Rest properties. As such, it’s a perfect distillation of what makes that portion of the Shoreham property so special. Even as winter neared (and has, at the time of posting, now arrived), and leaf litter cluttered the ground, I found some profound beauty at this preserve, despite its small size. To think that hundreds of acres just like these could be preserved in the very near future is extraordinarily exciting.
It’s important to note that the Wading River Marsh Preserve is not very accessible by car. The entire preserve is sandwiched between private residences, and while that’s largely unnoticed as you walk the trails, parking is a different beast entirely. At best, there’s room for two cars in front of this preserve, which lies just off Sound Road. While the park’s relative obscurity means that the odds are pretty good for a prospective visitor to get a spot, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that you may need to park down the road at a public parking lot and walk to it. But if you do need to take those extra steps, know that it’s very much worth it for an authentic Pine Barrens experience.
Despite being squished within a residential area, Wading River Marsh Preserve is one of the most authentically natural parks we’ve discussed in this series. This has some drawbacks – the eastern trail, in particular, is covered in roots, meaning you have to carefully watch your step – but the benefits far outweigh any inconvenience. The best parks are those that allow you to feel as though you’re stepping into another time and place, a place removed from the ills of industrial modernity, and Wading River Marsh Preserve surely succeeds on this front.
The eastern loop is, as I’ve said, a more difficult walk than the western loop, thanks to the many roots that cover the trail. But for this difficulty you’re rewarded with a remarkable view of the eponymous marsh which is truly grand in its scope. Though you can see some signs of human construction in the distance, their attempt at encroachment feels miniscule compared to the vast swaths of marsh grass. Toward the end of this trail, I saw plenty of resident and migratory birds, including Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Swamp Sparrows.
While the eastern loop is a very fine trail, and the scenic view at the end is well worth the walk down it, the western loop proved to be even greater. For one thing, the trail is far less rooted than its counterpart. While leaf litter obscured a fair bit of the path at points, that’s a consequence of the season and is not something I’m going to hold against any park. There’s also a decently extensive (relative to the length of the trail) boardwalk through some of the marsh that allows you to feel like you’ve truly gone into it, providing a close-up look at the grass and the water flowing beneath your feet. Near the end of the loop, there’s another nice view out onto the marsh, as well as more of the forest in the distance, and on this visit, I had the privilege of seeing a pair of Bald Eagles sitting in those trees. They were, sadly, too far away to get a decent picture, but their beauty and majesty wasn’t diminished a single iota, even over that great distance.
The Wading River Marsh Preserve is not a park for everybody. It’s difficult to get to, and difficult to walk. But if you’re physically able, this is a place to go that hits that sweet spot between being a manageable distance while also feeling like a true escape into the natural world. Stepping down from the sign marking the entrance to the sign marking the crossroads, from which you choose to go either west or east, you begin to feel transported, and that feeling only intensifies as you proceed. Trees tower over you, casting shadows even now, when their leaves have fallen. Then, the world opens up and you experience the grandeur that can be found on Long Island, if only you go out and look. It’s those moments that make hiking the Long Island Pine Barrens so worthwhile, and it’s the mark of a truly great experience.
By Travis Cutter, Long Island Pine Barrens Society
