12 for 12! This month, we’re visiting Shelter Island, nestled in the Peconic Estuary, and its environmental jewel, Mashomack Preserve! This preserve, owned and managed by our friends at The Nature Conservancy, has over ten miles of trails which cut through several different habitats. It provides incredible views, a challenging yet rewarding workout, and one of the best guest facilities of any park in the region!
Before we get into the merits of the preserve itself, we need to discuss the elephant in the room: Mashomack Preserve is located on Shelter Island. This means that if you don’t live on Shelter Island, you’ll need to pay $20 or more to get a ferry across. By default, Mashomack Preserve has the largest financial barrier to entry of any preserve we’ve discussed, and of any preserve we will discuss. Unless you’re planning to spend a full day at the preserve, it would behoove you to do some research on other activities on offer on Shelter Island before you make the trip. There are places to eat, a public library (currently undergoing renovation), various historical sites, and a nice bookstore, to name a few. Spend some time planning so you can get the most out of your ferry ticket!
Once you’ve crossed the channel and are on dry land again, it doesn’t take long to reach Mashomack, assuming, anyway, that you came via the south ferry. If you’re coming from the north fork, then you’ll have to drive down to the southern end of Route 114. The parking lot is large enough to host about two dozen cars and has a handicapped-accessible zone, as well as a pair of EV chargers. Mashomack’s information center (which, unfortunately, was closed during my visit) is extensive, featuring interactive learning stations for kids, as well as a nice sitting area with a large window looking over a bird feeder that’s equipped with a microphone, so you can listen in as nuthatches and chickadees dine and dash. Most important of all, are the bathrooms (which were, thankfully, open during my visit), as these are spacious, clean, equipped with changing tables, and use waterless composting toilets! Every inch of the facility is designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible, and the fact that it’s easily the nicest facility of any preserve we’ve visited is a testament to the efficacy of an environmental philosophy. Just across from the guest facility is a small boardwalk trail, which provides some nice views and a nearly effortless walk. Even if you’re on Shelter Island for something else, it’s worth stopping at Mashomack for a few minutes to take advantage of these highly accessible activities.
Onto the trails themselves. If you consult the map shown above, on this visit, I started on the Joan C. Coles Trail (Brown), continued to its end, then took the left loop of the Red Trail around until the start of the Green Trail. I followed that to the Yellow Trail, did that entire loop, then went back along the Green Trail, completed the outer loop of the Red Trail, returning to the Coles Trail and then the parking lot. In total, this was over three miles of hiking, and while the trails were wide and flat (usually consisting either of dirt or wood chips), there were a lot of elevation changes, especially on the Yellow Trail and at the time of writing (the day after the hike), my hamstrings are still a bit sore! While the hike is not challenging in terms of the quality of the path (on the day I went it was nearly ten below freezing, and so there were substantial patches of ice at various points, but I can’t hold that against the preserve), it is a bit of a challenge in terms of one’s own physical ability. To compensate for this, there are numerous benches placed across the trail, and there were several more benches in front of a shed beside the parking lot, ready to be deployed. If you’re looking for some decent exercise, Mashomack will certainly provide it, but if you pace yourself, you can also make the journey a bit less strenuous.
With a preserve as vast as Mashomack, you’ll be able to find numerous habitats on your walk. While much of the terrain is either forest or wetland (neither of which were especially active with animal life in this frigid season), there are also several meadows, the largest of which is encompassed by the Yellow Trail. Pushing ahead to this meadow elevated the hike from a very solid, albeit somewhat standard, experience to one of, if not the, best hikes of the 12 for 12 series. As you step out of the forest and see before you the vast, rolling grasslands, your breath is immediately taken away. It’s an almost otherworldly experience, as the meadow is tucked away within the forest and so you feel as though you’ve stumbled across this forgotten grove, lost to time. Of course, there are helpful informative signs and trail markers aplenty (Mashomack has some of the best marked trails of any preserve), but this hardly distracts from the immense natural beauty. If you can brave the cold, you’ll find numerous winter visitors flocking to the meadow such as the Yellow-rumped Warbler and Golden-crowned Kinglet, as well as other elusive species like the Hermit Thrush and our very own State Bird, the Eastern Bluebird! As an avid birder always angling to see as many species as possible, Mashomack more than delivered. The fact that I only explored a small portion of the preserve is almost unbelievable to me, as the portion I experienced could provide the same level of joy on a dozen hikes. As with so many things, the best preserves leave you wanting more. That Mashomack can do that while having more is an incredible achievement.
While there’s no question that Mashomack Preserve presents some serious barriers to entry – both financially and, potentially, physically – it is more than worth the effort of visiting. Between the diverse habitat, the stunning vistas, and the extensive wildlife, Mashomack Preserve is a jewel well worth beholding. It’s a testament to the hard work of the Nature Conservancy, and a gift to all Long Islanders.
By Travis Cutter, Long Island Pine Barrens Society
