Sunken Meadow State Park

Sunken Meadow State Park, also known as Governor Alfred E. Smith State Park, is a 1,287-acre (5.21 km2) state park[2] located in the Town of Smithtown in Suffolk County, New York on the north shore of Long Island. The park, accessible via the Sunken Meadow State Parkway, contains the 27-hole Sunken Meadow State Park Golf Course.

Sunken Meadow State Park
Boardwalk at the beachfront at Sunken Meadow State Park
Location of Sunken Meadow State Park within New York State
TypeState park
LocationRte. 25A and Sunken Meadow Parkway
Kings Park, New York[1]
Nearest cityKings Park, New York
Coordinates40°54′41″N 73°15′29″W
Area1,288 acres (5.21 km2)[2]
Created1926 (1926)[3]
Operated byNew York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Visitors3,602,722 (in 2019)[4]
OpenAll year
WebsiteSunken Meadow State Park

Park description
Beach at Sunken Meadow State Park

Sunken Meadow State Park is open year-round from sunrise to sunset. The park's features include three miles (4.8 km) of beaches on the Long Island Sound, a three-quarters-mile-long (1.2 km) boardwalk, six miles (9.7 km) of hiking trails, and facilities for biking, horseback riding, watersports, and general recreation. Playgrounds, softball fields, and a soccer fields are also available at the park.[3] A wedding and event facility known as "The Pavilion" is available during the summer.

The Sunken Meadow State Park Golf Course features 27 holes that may be played as either nine or 18 holes, in addition to a driving range and putting green. The first two nine-hole courses, Red and Green, were built in 1962, followed by the Blue Course in 1964. All three courses were designed by Alfred Tull. A bar and snack food restaurant near the course is available and open to the public.[1]

Steep coast and beach at Sunken Meadow State Park

The park's grounds are used as a venue for cross country running, and host competitions for cross country teams from local high schools and runners' clubs. The five-kilometer course, featuring the deliberately named "Cardiac Hill", is regarded as one of the most difficult cross country courses in the US.[5][6]

The 31-mile (50 km) Long Island Greenbelt Trail connects Sunken Meadow State Park with Heckscher State Park.

See also

References
  1. "Sunken Meadow State Park". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  2. "Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9". 2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook (PDF). The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. 2014. p. 671. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 16, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  3. "Information Packet for the Draft Master Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Public Information Meeting, Governor Alfred E. Smith/Sunken Meadow State Park" (PDF). NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. March 3, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  4. "State Park Annual Attendance Figures by Facility: Beginning 2003". Data.ny.gov. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  5. Dye, John. "Toughest Cross Country Courses". DyeStat. Archived from the original on December 11, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  6. Ford, Warwick; Ford, Nola (2009). Fun on Foot in New York. Aspen, CO: Wyltan Books. pp. 272–273. ISBN 0976524422.
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