Hempstead Lake State Park - Nature Trail

Distance: 4 mile loop   Elevation Gain: 5- 10 ft   Hike Time: 1 1/2 - 2 hours   Difficulty: Easy  Trail Condition: Earth  Hike Type: Loop

How to Get There: Take Southern State Parkway to exit 18 south, Eagle Avenue, which directly enters the park. Pay an admission fee. Drive to the south end of the park to the last parking lot. To connect with the 4 mile trail which circles Hempstead Lake, start from the same parking lot where you parked. Walk out the driveway that exits the lot and then head to the lake to your right. Walk onto the bridle path but stay on its margin to avoid horses that have the right of way.

General Description:  During the Revolutionary War, Hempstead Lake was described as an “impenetrable, mosquito-infested swamp” where British Loyalists hid from rebels. In 1925, Robert Moses commissioned New York City to purchase the lake area for the city’s water supply. About 903 acres were later set aside for the park. Hempstead Lake is Nassau County’s largest freshwater lake. At either end of it are five other ponds.

The 4 mile nature walk goes around Hempstead Lake. The footpath parallels the more conspicuous path for horses. The footpath is pretty and gives you a more private view of the lake that is very different from the view most visitors get from the developed side of the lake. Follow it around the lake’s south end, always keeping the lake on your left. When you get to the other side, look for the footpath that runs parallel to the bridle path.  Click here for an DEC map of the lake.

For the next ¾ mile, you walk through attractive woods with lake views. During the next half-mile, you skirt athletic fields close to Peninsula Boulevard. When you get to the north end of the lake, you have two options. We recommend that you walk along the edge of the athletic field toward the lake, and connect with the bridle path. Again, remember that horses have the right of way, so stay along the edge. This trail goes around the end of the lake. Soon you pass by the picnic shelters and buildings across Lake Drive. In ¾ mile, look for the entrance to the parking lot where you started.