Avalon Park & Preserve

Lovely park with trails that wander up and down through a mature forest. Don’t think I’d be able to bike it although it is for bikes too. The topography is too rugged.

Been coming to this peaceful park spanning from Stony Brook to Head of the Harbor for years and it’s perfect to come on a hot day. The trees provide plenty of shade and in the fall, autumn flowers add to the landscape. Unfortunately, the rhododendrons in «rhododendron valley» haven’t bloomed once in nine years. Also, it’s pretty hilly and you’ll need to watch your step due to exposed tree roots on the trails. Be extra careful of poison ivy as well. If you like peace and quiet, this is a great park to visit.

What a beautiful park!!! There are 3 trails all well marked and maintained. The hike is easy –not many hills I’d prefer a more challenging hike but this is a beautiful spot –the trails are short we did a total of 6 miles and did all the trails. The location is great as it is only footsteps away from the village

This place located in Stony Brook seriously gets love from me like once a week. Hike on the yellow and spend a good hour enjoying the weather and a beautiful traveling path. The scenery is great and it really is a great and safe place to hike.

In Celtic lore, «Avalon» is known to be a bit of a paradise. Well, the same goes for Stonybrook’s Avalon park.
If you happen to be driving by, you may see the pond and not realize there’s actually quite the sanctuary amidst the woods.
This place is perfect when you want to go for a quick walk with the pup, a longer hike through a couple miles of trails, or just a magical little jaunt through this awesome wildlife preserve.
A few entrances will lead you in, starting your journey to various spots such as the field of milkweed which always attracts some butterflies, or try to find the labyrinth; no matter what you do you’ll find something interesting.
You’ve gotta check it out.
Great during the spring and fall!
Best of all, it’s free to explore.

Beautiful scenery. I went hiking and I loved it.
It doesn’t get as crowded as other parks, which makes it really nice.

Stumbled upon this place by accident. My fiancée and I were out for a jog and we saw a little wooden boardwalk and figured let’s take a different route. We were taken back by how many different things this park had to offer. From duckpond to trail hiking and even a cool little labyrinth for the kids. We went back the next day and explored more with the family.

Whether you feel like taking a snow laden hike in the middle of winter, taking in the aromas of the wild flower fields during the summer, enjoying the cool of sunset, or just taking a breather from work, Avalon Park & Preserve does it all. It is rather easy to get lost, but I personally do not mind that, esp. if I am there to unwind.
But enough of this: I’ll let my pictures do the talking.

The first time I came here was with my friend Steve. I love the hike and very scenery.

This review has been long over due, I love this place, it is one of the only places in Stony Brook that has multiple trails that are long enough to hike or run on. I am an avid runner that likes to run on different trails to enjoy scenery while exercising, and this is by far my favorite place. Also I have attended the yoga and meditation groups they hold here weekly and I have really enjoyed them. As a nature girl from Utah, this place is my home away from home. I love Avalon.

This park is huge & beautiful! We love this place! Great place to hike, jog, walk your dog, hang out with friends, or do a romantic walk with your date. The entrance can be pretty hard to find if this is your first time visiting the park. When you’re driving on a Main street going north, you’ll see a lake on your left, that’s the park. Just park your car, walk to the Harbor Rd along the side of the lake & you’ll find the entrance there.
Definitely worth visiting even if you’re not from the area. Wish there’s a public restroom inside…
We’ll definitely go back!

Avalon is a close drive from stony brook university. I went along with three friends one morning and we decided to do the longest trail, which really wasn’t that long. The park was smaller than what I imagined seeing the maps online. The trails are marked along the way, you just have to follow the colored arrows. We did go off course for a bit because we got distracted by a deer. Be aware!
We saw a lot of people along the way, some of them are joggers who looked like they frequent the place. Everyone was very polite and said hi to us. I would return to Avalon the next time I’m looking for a short hike.

I love taking the trip here in the Spring and Fall with my kids for a nice walk outdoors. My daughter loves feeding the ducks and my sons like the «gym» at the back of the Avalon trail. If you’ve never gone look for the maps at the entrance, there is a lot to see that may be otherwise missed

I would have given this 5 stars but the don’t feed the ducks bread signs are not obvious enough. So much bread in the water and people still coming with loaves at 5 pm on Sunday. Don’t miss the trails along the back of the lake. Follow walk along side street. Very very pretty back there. The rhododendrons bloom in the spring and they are stunning.

After a recent visit to Long Island to visit my daughter, we stopped by this lovely park/​preserve on our way to Port Jefferson. Port Jefferson to me was nice, but Avalon Park & Preserve really stole my heart. It was peaceful, beautiful, scenic, relaxing, and one of the many things to make me think, «I really wish I could live here.» Here, meaning, New York, Long Island, the North Shore. There is such beauty up on the North Shore. Fell in love with it. I’m just sorry I didn’t explore more of Avalon when I was there. It is a nice home for all the «duckies,» and I would really love to see the reflection of the changing Autumn leaves on the trees outlining the pond. Wow ! Heaven on earth.

This park was a lot smaller than I was expecting. There are like, 5 parking lots. My friends and I drove around for about 20 minutes trying to find the actual entrance. There is no entrance. All of the parking lots are connected along the trails. The trail we took was about 2 miles long. They all loop around so you can take any trail and end up back to your spot within an hour or so depending on how fast you hike, or if you stop to take pictures. It’s a nice, small park and has different parts to it so it doesn’t really get boring.
I went to this park thinking it was going to be a lot to see or explore, but it’s very small. There isn’t a lot to explore, so I wasnt very impressed. It is a good place to go on a small hike. I love that it is canine friendly! Big thumbs up!

Great place to go for a quick hike and relax. It is also dog friendly so bring a leash and smiling canine companion. The terrain is not overly challenging but excellent exercise. Just watch out in the fall when the leaves drop as not all the terrain is flat beneath those leaves. There is a pond at the base of the trails which is great for little ones.

Absolutely in love with Avalon. My girlfriend and I are were searching for a relaxing picnic area & found this gem! I highly recommend wearing sneakers since it’s mostly beautiful trails. However, we came across this gorgeous picnic area surrounded by nothing but flowers and trees. They keep this place real tidy & clean. I brought my maltipoo with me and had her on a leash. Lots of other dogs there too. I can’t think of anything negative to say about this park. Def. recommend.

Like King Arthur recovery from the wounds of combat with Mordred, on weekends I seek out a sanctuary to de-​stress from the daily struggle that is living in NYC.
Enter Avalon Park and Preserve, where excalibur may not be forged but then again I’m not quite sure what goes on in the barn…
The paths are gentle and clearly marked, taking the intrepid walker through fields, atop a boardwalk and past many trees that weren’t quite blooming during our visit.
My quest for peace did have some distractions, mainly the blood curdling screams of children re-​enacting what sounded like mortal combat. I believe they were simply harassing the helpless ducks, leading to a vicious cycle of parental yelling, child regrouping for another tactic and eventual discovery by parent resulting in crying.
Most of the noisy tots were by the pond area so if you want actual quiet, I recommend moving further along the paths to the open fields.
People also tend to have a habit of ignoring a clearly marked sign about not feeding ducks human food as I saw plenty of people armed with whole loaves of bread. It’s like giving birds junk food, with no nutritional value whatsoever. This is not a criticism directed solely at Avalon but any place where there are ponds and ducks. (I’m looking at you, Central Park and your tourist hordes).
One observation that is directed at Avalon is the absence of any restroom facility. There is a large staff only building that would be perfect for toilets but none are to be found. Parking is limited along the nearby road so we wound up parking at the nearby Stony Brook Village (and could not find the public restrooms there!)
One can clearly spend a few hours meandering through the different trails and relaxing on a warm summer day.

My kids and I have been coming to this park it seems like forever. When it was finished and they built the paths, the labyrinth as well as the decking, it feels like your hiking in upstate New York. Question, who lives in that beautiful house across from the Grist Mill? Imagine waking up and bringing a cuppa kawfee on your deck and seeing people snapping pictures? The foot traffic after a few years would make me a little nutty.
When the weather changes and the leaves turn golden brown it is truly spectacular.
This isn’t a small park, you can spend a few hours walking and exploring. And its dog friendly! My dog loves to trout up the steps. There are lots of ducks to feed, bring your babies, bring your family but come to Avalon Park and explore the area. There are lots of restaurants and shopping to see across the street.
Its a nice family friendly town that should be explored.
I am the Unilocal Duke of Avalon Park & Preserve and I approve of this message