Heckscher State Park

Me and my partner came here to pass the time before a costume party. My partner was going In a huge bird costume, and me dressed as a taco. We love children, but when we walked up to an unattended child, we got kicked out of the park. We also were taken to jail after offering the kid a piece of candy. The lesson learned in this review is that it’s not good to take your mugshot in a huge taco costume.

I came here for a hike and I was shocked I have never been here before especially during the warmer months.
We started our hike by the water and we got beautiful views of the island.
This place is really nice and has a lot of path for walking and biking.

Decent sized park with some sandy beaches and lots of trees. Plenty of parking lots. lots of BBQ pits and space for nice picnic or family BBQ. Plenty of flat trails for walking and biking. But be warned, bring your bug spray! If you have an electric tennis racket handy, bring that too! When I came with my family in mid-August.we were walking in one of the trails. and we were attacked by swarms of mosquitoes! I was wearing long sleeves. and I still got stung multiple times!
T_​T

Clean, big open place and sucha great place to have a barbeque with families :)) love this park! And there is also a beach right across from the park so its a good place to go with childrens or your loved ones

This is my go to spot for biking with my son or a nice walk through nice trails. The park is always open during the day till sunset. Plenty of parking. Boating access, Multiple BBQ pits, multiple play areas for the kids with playground equipment. Pool has been closed for years it’s a shame because so much money went into this park over the years and they did nothing to repair the run down areas but there is beaches. Great spot to see deer and fox if your quiet. Oh and please get the Empire park pass It should still be 65 for the year. It beats paying 8 dollars every time you want to visit a park in the State of Ny.

Great beach !! Everyone likes to go to the big beaches but this park is my favourite because it’s half park/​half beach! It has many different sections. It also has lots of kids play areas and pools!!! Which is def a bonus for those who don’t want to swim in the beach water ! Unfortunately the most recent time we went no one was allowed to swim in the beach because the life guards were off duty & since its a state park, they are held responsible. But people were still swimming in the water. The lot we went to was huge and not that crowded. We easily found a nice spot in the shade with a picnic table. There were famIlies having huge parties/​BBQs but there was so much space that no one minded! There’s also lots of mini grills throughout to bbq. They do take awhile to light up. After using a whole bag of coal we still couldn’t get it to light up but once we started throwing sticks in there it went blazing. So word of advice just collect a bunch of tree branches before u grill

IT currently cost $ 10 for parking in the park. the times are from 8 am to 4pm when they charge if you go later then 4 it is free to get in. but they close at like 10 pm. the park is very large they have small beach area. picnic area is always packed so get there early to get a good spot. they do offer camp grounds and you do have to pay for each night. fishing is not the best. but the blue crab fishing is very good. the park is pretty big a lot of run roads hiking trails. its a pretty good price for a fun lil day i mostly go to crab there.

I feel bad for this place, compared to its polar opposite which is Sunken Meadow, this place seems like the perfect place to shoot a post apocalypse movie… cause that’s how some of it looks like. I usually shoot on the North Shore with my Nikon D3200, but I was in Bay Shore playing cricket and had time to kill. The last time I was at this park was probably close to 10 years ago.
This place is actually bigger than I thought but a lot of the fields/​parking lot areas are either closed or just straight up crappy. It was probably the nicest day of the year yesterday and we came a little before sunset which was great. The pictures I took here came out great but going close and around the water their was a lot of broken concrete around. Its definitely not a place you’d go to swim in the summer especially around those dangerous rocks and concrete blocks.
I took some really good shots here but I just felt bad for this place, it made me appreciate Sunken Meadow State Park a lot more.

$ 8 for this? Like the other reviewer said, Heck No!
Heckscher State Park is a big wasteland of flat, manicured terrain interrupted only by small patches of unreachable woods. The landscape is slightly more cheerful than the post-​apocalyptic cinematography of 2009 film, The Road.
Also, it’s peppered with signs: don’t park in this parking lot, need a permit for this lot, no not this one either, no wading, no swimming, keep your dog on a 6ft leash at all times. That last one was flagrantly broken by a jogger (probably a local who didn’t even pay for admission – sections of this park are literally in the backyard of some private homes) whose dog ran maniacally fifty feet ahead spooking deer, an extra shameful violation since that’s the only redeeming feature at the park: The magnificent closeness of deer. The sign at the entrance even proudly states, «Home of the White Tail Deer»; I didn’t see a sign that said, «Home of the White tail Deer, Set Your Dog Loose to Chase Them!»
Biking around the park, all the paved paths and roadways on this plot of land might be interesting but only if you’re local; It’s really not worth the drive. Likewise, fields can be useful for large soccer games and such but that’s about it. Only 15 miles away, your money will provide better value at Robert Moses State park if you want to go to a real beach and you’d probably see some deer as well. Or for the same fee, if you’re interested in a natural atmosphere, there’s Connetquot River State Park Preserve just five miles away. In any case, considering how green this spot looks on the map, it’s extra disappointing.

This place is another disturbing example of the environmental disappointment you’re likely to experience in new york. I had a funny feeling about this place as we approached the little gatehouse. The guy working there was either in high school or possibly college. His apathetic answers to our questions about the best hiking trails were a clear sign we would not want to be there but we were optimists because apathy seems to be the general motto of new york locals.
So here’s what it is. No hiking– just paved walking/​bike paths. The water is a slimy brown sludge. There’s something really unnatural about it– it’s called concentrated levels of pollution. Yep, and no one is in the water– and for plenty good reason.
Does this deter anyone from visiting this polluted place– nope. Fellow new yorkers are found here having BBQs, sitting by the water watching the sludge splash onto the filthy sand and the like enjoying the park as one would enjoy any park. There is no concern for the polluted water much less anything else.
Also, there’s the numerous bugs– mosquitoes and such are in an abundant supply so bring plenty of bug spray. We made sure to bathe in bug repellant and we still managed more than a few bug bites by the time we left.
This place is good for bikes rides along the bike path as long as you have a mosquito net covering your entire body. The views from afar seem pleasant but nothing to write home about. We were eager to leave soon after starting on the walking path. Note there are lots of bunnies (cute) and deer (lovely) but I prefer to be in natural surroundings that are valued for nature sake…
Unlike some of the locals, when I go to a nature park– well– I want to be around nature– not listening to some local’s favorite music at a deafening volume. I also don’t want to be surrounded by pollution– as crazy as that may seem. When we left we decided this was definitely Heck NO! Park.

Great park. A little upset prices went up to 8.00 to get in.

Great place to get away with some good events.

Me: «Dude, It’s on the water. This park runs along the bay.»
Guac: «No, it doesn’t I’ve been there.»
Me: «Okay, so, it’s a plot. Newsday’s explore Long Island and the reviews I saw on Unilocal are a big plot, It’s all a lie, huh…»
20 minutes later we pay the 8.00 $ parking fee then proceed to drive along the blacktop entrance. Following the green signs with arrows pointed to the designated areas that advise you of what’s ahead. ie the arrow ahead straight for boat parking, and beach areas.
Me. «You don’t think those boat ramps or beaches have anything to do with the bay do you?»
Heckscher is not big on Aesthetics as in the way some of the nicer Nassau County or NYC parks have to offer. However, The park being on the water and streamlined with its basic lack of anything fancy adds to the effectiveness for the connection to nature and the escape from everything else. The command view of Fire Island is outstanding.
My observation of the camping grounds left me with a feeling it’s not my cup o’ tea due to being right on top of everyone. My idea of camping is getting away from the huge crowd not mixing with it. The park is broken up into fields and this designates activities. Picnics, pool, beaches, etc. the fields are connected by a paved trail.
Overall, I was impressed with this park. I don’t think I’d come here to sit by the beach all day. It’s ideal for bike riding or hiking. Also, the picnic areas inspire you to call a bunch of people to get a BBQ together. I will return, a lot.
I Still don’t know what the hell park Guac was talking about (either does he.)

Drive all the way east to the end of the Southern Parkway, then all the way south down the Heckscher Parkway. At the end, you’ll find a beautiful state park with so much to do, from beaches, hiking trails, camping grounds, playgrounds, and more. This is a great place if you’re a hiker or a jogger. Even just driving around to watch the wildlife is fun. Don’t drive too fast, because the deer have a tendency to walk on the road or jump in front of your car.