The next 10 miles of the Paumanok Path travels through the over 6,000-acre Manorville Hills wilderness area situated between the LIE, County Road 51, Route 24, and Route 111.  The Paumanok Path doesn’t enter such a wide expanse of open space again until it reaches Montauk.  It is a forested area unmarked by paved roads, but there is an abundance of unpaved wide straight woods roads crisscrossing this vast wilderness. These originated as bulldozed survey lines created before this became public land. 

Here we walk on the spine of the Ronkonkoma Moraine. The Harbor Hill moraine forms the northern fluke of Long Island, while the older Ronkonkoma moraine forms the southern fluke.  The Ronkonkoma Moraine tilts towards South Fork here.  The large scale pushing of materials in front of the glacier as it advanced created this spine.  The hills reach 300 feet above sea level offering vantage points for extensive views of natural features miles distant. This area has the highest concentration of glacial erratics in Long Island's Pine Barrens. A glacial erratic is a boulder carried by glacial ice and deposited some distance from its place of origin. The name erratic is based on the errant location of these boulders. The area is also characterized by having many kettlehole ponds. They are formed when blocks of ice break away from the front of a receding glacier and are buried by glacial outwash. Glacial outwash is generated when sediment laden streams of meltwater flow away from the glacier and are deposited to form outwash plains. When the ice blocks melt, holes are left behind. When numerous kettle holes disrupt the ground surfaces, a jumbled assemblage of ridges and mounds form, this is referred to as a knob and kettle topography.

The first 1.7 miles of the route runs close and parallel to the LIE corridor. The traffic noise and the ankle twisting landscape distorted by illegal ATV use dominate the hiking experience here.  In fact, I passed three places where it is obvious from the many tire tracks, that the flimsy fence along the road corridor is no detriment to vehicular access from the Long Island Expressway.  If you follow these tracks and look at the recently updated Long Island Pine Barrens Trail map (Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference 631-360-0753), it becomes obvious that the vehicles are running south on the Paumanok Path and several boundary roads to Hot Water Street and Toppings Path. This is an unpleasant and dangerous place to walk, and I look forward to a time when we can protect this large piece of public land, and build a more hiker-friendly trail.  Suffolk County was awarded a grant of $89,600 to build a trailhead and augment the trail system it accesses.  It is expected that proper stewardship and increased gentle use will help address the illegal activities that exist here. This State grant was provided through the Federal Highway Administration's Transportation TEA-21 Recreational Trails Program, which is administered by the State of New York. Proposed plans for this site include the development of safe and adequate parking facilities as well as the installation of a mounting ramp to assist horseback riders with physical limitations and/or disabilities.  The Concerned Long Island Mountain Bicyclists, the local nonprofit mountain biking group, is constructing a trail to connect this trailhead to their Eastport trail.  At the last Long Island Greenbelt Trail Preservation meeting it was a unanimously agreed that the hiking group will apply its resources towards creating a sustainable Paumanok Path  traveling through Manorville Hills.  Land purchases subsequent to the building of the trail, will enable us to move the trail away from the Expressway.  This obviously can’t happen until the motorized vehicle issues are addressed.  We will need to continue our dangerous and painful walk through Manorville Hills in the next hiking column.

Directions to the Halsey Manor Road Trailhead:  From the LIE Exit 70 travel east on CR. 111.  Turn left; travel 1 mile north on Halsey Manor Rd. There is ample parking on the east side shoulder of the road. From Sunrise Highway, take exit 62 (County Road 111) heading towards the L. I. Expressway. Before reaching the LIE turn right onto Halsey Manor Road. Approaching the bridge that goes over the LIE, look for a large meadow-like clearing on the right and park on the shoulder there. Follow the wire fence to the woods on the far side of the parking area.  Or just follow the ATV tracks into the woods.