Very pleasant and peaceful place to "get back to nature" in the insanity that is Long Island, New…read moreYork.

We went off season before this crazy cold snap. I i've been here before but many years ago. I…read moreforgot how beautiful it was. I want to say @ least 3500 acres. There are buildings throughout the park with plenty of bathrooms : CLEAN bathrooms! , There is also a small gift shop & Cafe that is open for " most" of the year . . You can definitely " Get lost" here , if that is a goal...and daydreami. There are wide open smoother paths as well as paved walkways & more paths you can track through the woods. There's different water displays with the river running throughout the park iWe got to see a few animals in nature. : a Hawk. Dear, chipmunks. to start. Any time of year this park is beautiful. S if you're in the area or even if you're not in the area, it's definitely worth the drive in the season. It's a MY Star park so they take the NYS EMPIRE PASSPOET or pay cash at either entry . I know there are at least two ways to get into the park. With plenty of parking and again they only charge parking fees during peak season. Bundle up agates this weather breaks, it's good for you to get out there for fresh air and exercise in the dead winter. ( an you tell I am a mom? ) I love this place, I am just trying harder to try to see more of what Long Island has to offer as far as Parks & trails. Oh, at the beginning of one of the trails it had a sign and showed different plants and bushes. And we had identified all 10 of those even though it was I believe late November when we came here. I'm looking forward to coming back specifically in more spring, like weather. You can see the fish some of the waters / streams running thru ...

Amazing! Came on a Saturday, there is a car fee of $15 non resident. Park was empty and we loved…read moreit. Plenty of space for car parking and toilets nearby. Playground nearby for the kids. Amazingly comfortable and relaxing

There are a high number of trailers that have not moved in a long time. There is supposed to be a…read moreseven day camping limit before you have to move your unit however this doesn't seem to be the case here at this park. The park trails need maintenance as there are overgrown trees, and laid over trees across paths. Some of the trail access have planks of wood for soft ground that is rotting away. Trails are not marked and website map is difficult to read. Some of the docks on the water are inaccessible from shore.

Located diagonally across the street from the Target in Sayville, Google Maps provided the most…read moreaccurate directions. Apple Maps put me in the neighborhood behind the park. Sans Souci" means "no worry" if I correctly remember my high school French. However, I was worried as the only visible person walking the trail at 9:00 am on a Saturday morning. After a minute of walking the trail, of which I took a photo with my iPhone, I quickly turned back. As a single female, I prefer crowded parks with plenty of people and security. I am off to another park.

It's a stunning Preserve with lot's of cool trails! There's even a little fairy village (figurines)…read morein the middle.

Great to bring the dog, Park area closed in for larger dogs…read moreand one for the smaller pups! Love taking the family down to walk to the water at Gardiner park!

What a nice park. It's about .6 mile from the parking lot to the beach, we'll sort of a beach lol…read moreplenty of trails to explore. Had my lunch at one of the picnic tables.

Easy to follow trails. Either you follow the blue arrows or you follow the green arrows. If you…read morefollow green all the way in, follow green all the way out. Do not mix and match arrows or you will definitely get lost. Do not go off the trails or you will get lost. Do not take any short cuts or you will get lost. It's a Nice beautiful forest. Go and have fun. Protect yourself from ticks.

As other reviewers have said, there's really not much to see here…read more Place is right by Brookhaven labs and a main highway, but once you get on the trails all the noise is drowned out. And I mean, ALL. THE. NOISE. Usually in parks like this, you'll hear birds chirping and singing in the trees everywhere. But this place was absolutely dead silent. You'd stop and strain to hear any sign of life, but there was no noise at all. It was quite disappointing and frankly a little creepy. We were hoping to see deer, turkey and do some birding, but saw no wildlife whatsoever. Just scrub pines as far as the eye could see. Trails are well marked, there were a few garbage cans scattered along the trails which I thought was a nice touch, and there was a port-a-potty at the entrance. Not sure if it was open/useable though due to covid. There are three trails; we chose the shortest and I was glad we did. Off to another park.

These were the best eggs we ever had. Fluffy creamy bright yellow yolks. The caretaker of these…read morehens is doing a great job. Free to roam and must be a healthy diet. I will be a repeat customer , these eggs are eggsellent! Everyone is telling me you gotta check this place out. I'm curious now . I'm ready to see for myself the DisheyLand of farms!

If you have a state park pass, it's worth checking this place out. They have lots of parking, but…read moreit can fill up for events. Charge is $8 to park I believe if you don't have a pass. They have the little meter boxes you can pay at or swipe your card / digital QR code. Lots of trails to explore. Absolutely beautiful foliage and vegetation. So well curated. They also have a mansion that has some exhibits to check out, and a little spot for food.

This park is pretty tiny so if you want a big hike it wouldn't be a place to come to. Sometimes I…read moreget trapped by finding a park and thinking I'm going to take a good hike and even though I'm a librarian I didn't look into it properly and than I realize it's a pretty small park. I wanted to go to caleb smith state park but they were closed so I found this one while driving and got out to explore. It looks like it's mainly for fishing or just relaxing. When I was there one man was fishing. I walked the little bit of park area and into a tiny patch of woods nearby just to be outside and get some scenery but I could have used a longer walk. Not a bad park just not for a hardcore hike if you're looking for that.

Paul Given Park... Beautiful little respite by the side of the road ...under the railroad…read moreTrestle... great for fishing relaxing, lunch, small little jewel in the heart of busy Smithtown.( do not park here to try to run across Highway and see the bull) As that would be extremely dangerous and never recommended. I understand a lot of frogs coming out soon.. Love the sound ..ribbit ribbit.... I did not walk around and I will do that soon and update my review with more photos until then . Happy yelping all. Jim D.

I love nature and history. The T Bayles Minuse Mill Pond and Park (referred from this point on as…read moreThe Mill Pond) is where nature and history unite.    I have visited the Mill Pond and seen it from Christian Avenue several times over going all the way back to the Jimmy Carter Administration when I attended Minnesauke Elementary School. When I a little child, my mother brought me here to feed the ducks. Over 43 years from my first visits here in the 1970s, I returned here when visiting my Dad this summer.    This is a beautiful and charming postcard worthy spot where pristine Long Island lives. When I looked west, my eyes took in a forested hillside beside a pictorial pond. When I looked north I saw a small bridge carrying Harbor Drive over the stream feeding the pond from the Long Island Sound and the historic Stony Brook Grist Mill to the right. The wide shoreline that is interspersed with flowers and mature trees provides sufficient room for waterfowl and people. In this pictorial postcard scenery; the geese, birds, and squirrels were the stars.    There are signs along the pond that educate guests about the ducks and wildlife that live here. The sign said the ducks include mallard ducks, Peking ducks, gadwall, and wood ducks. On my last visit, I saw primarily geese.  The Mill Pond is the Gateway to the Avalon Park Trail, which travels through the forested hillside that I described. This is where my brother and I started off before hiking on the Avalon Park Trail. Following the hike, we'd sit by my dad who had been relaxing on a rock overlooking the pond.    The amount of historic sites surrounding the pond is commendable. We parked at the Stony Brook Village Center, which could be the oldest shopping center in America. On the way, we stopped at the Hercules Figurehead. After passing the Stony Brook Grist Mill, we made our way to the pond. If we kept walking past the pond we'd arrive at the Carriage House Museum. So, the Mill Pond can be an attraction in a day filled with historic attractions and taking in the Long Island Sound.    I am a fan of what I have always called the Stony Brook Mill Pond. In contrast to several of the Long Island forests, the Mill Pond shoreline  was not  a victim of the wrecking ball. On the contrary it only got better with land purchases that helped create the adjacent Avalon Park Trail. With that said, I would love to return to it again several times over.

Great park to do some bird watching. Lots of double crested cormorants, swans, geese, ducks. We…read morealso saw great egret.Very well maintained. This park is located next to Avalon Park and Preserve and across from the Stony Brook Grist Mil. Street parking is easy to find. Definitely worth visiting if you live nearby.