The best road cycling routes around West Bay Shore

This beach is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but only to Town of Babylon residents. You need a yearly Town of Babylon recreation permit in order to get in.

Jones Beach at Jones Beach State Park is home to 6.5 miles of beautiful white-sand beach on the Atlantic Ocean on the south shore of Long Island. Although many of the 8 million visitors per year enjoy swimming, beach-walking, and sunbathing, there is so much more to do here. Wildlife enthusiasts can enjoy bird watching, spotting species such as Oystercatchers, Terns, and Northern Harrier Hawks along the shore. The park's boardwalk and bike paths provide a scenic route for cyclists, with connections extending to nearby parks. Water sports, including surfing, stand-up paddle-boarding, wind surfing, and kayaking, are popular activities along the beachfront. Fishing and crabbing are also available, particularly at Field 10, where there is a bait and tackle shop on site. For those with mobility impairments, Beach Wheel Chairs are available at Zach's Bay for easy access across the sand and into the water. Special events such as the Bethpage Air Show, July 4th Fireworks Spectacular, and concerts at the Northwell Health Theatre offer fun experiences for visitors all year.

This trail, also known as the Jones Beach Bike Path, stretches along the entire length of Jones Beach Island, offering waterfront views along the way. With a total length of around 20 miles, it provides a nice, continuous ride.

Tucked away within the bounds of Sunken Meadow State Park lies a 400-acre tidal marsh, a hidden gem teeming with ecological significance. This salt marsh serves as a critical haven for a myriad of state-rare plant and animal species, offering nesting grounds and foraging areas for a diverse array of avian life. Beyond its role as a biodiversity hotspot, the marsh acts as a natural storm barrier, safeguarding coastal communities, and filtering pollutants from the water. In an era of climate change, preserving this uncommon and imperiled ecosystem has become an urgent priority, ensuring its continued existence for generations to come.

Spanning 1,600 acres on Long Island's south shore, Heckscher State Park is an outdoor haven. Shady picnic groves host family gatherings, while open fields beckon sports enthusiasts for soccer, cricket, and lacrosse. Nature lovers explore 4 miles of trails, spotting deer and birds against the backdrop of the Great South Bay and Fire Island. The bay lures visitors for swimming, boating, and water sports. Newly built waterfront cottages offer cozy accommodations with spectacular views, complete with living areas, kitchens, and screened porches.

Connetquot River State Park Preserve is a 3,473-acre refuge of sandy pine barrens, wetlands, ponds, and woodlands. Visitors can find over 200 bird species and 300 plant species, along with other mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, and moths that once lived all over Long Island. This area was created as New York's first "State Park Preserve," and remains a protected area open to the public today.

This nearly 3,500-acre refuge of sandy pine barrens, wetlands, ponds and woodlands is nestled in central Long Island along the pristine, spring-fed Connetquot River. A wilderness surrounded by suburbs, the preserve provides excellent opportunities to see more than 200 bird and 300 plant species, as well as several mammal, reptile, amphibian, butterfly and moth species that once flourished throughout Long Island.

Situated on the western bank of the Nissequogue River, near its estuarine mouth, this 93 acre forested property is utilized primarily for hiking. Arthur Kunz County Park features tidal creeks, a lush, mixed deciduous forest, rolling hills and valleys, and quaint hidden ponds all of which provide important habitat for wildlife. The trail system in the park provides a scenic link in a section of the Long Island Greenbelt Trail which heads north from Arthur Kunz Park to its terminus at Sunken Meadow State Park.