When you walk between the newly installed bollard (vertical post) and the repaired rail at the “elbow” in Pleasure Drive, notice the wide denuded LIPA ROW, with the huge metal towers and wires overhead to the left.  The narrow spit of woods between the Paumanok Path and the ROW is filled with ATV caused scars.  Recently the State DOT, and LIPA began restoring and augmenting their protective barriers in this area.  They are working in cooperation with the State Central Pine Barrens Commission to help assure the success of the ATV Damage Mitigation Project.  It is expected that this will push illegal ATV use out of our sensitive natural open space.  I look forward to walking on these trails when they are restored, and listening to the tish-tish and buzz of inner woods birds here once again.

The first thing you notice when entering these woods, is the rolling knob and kettle terrain as the trail takes you from high knobs with expansive views, to the rims of deep kettle ponds.  In many places, oak worm and gypsy moth have decimated the oak, allowing pine and brush to thrive.  In places, there are grass and sedge meadows.  The trail from Pleasure Drive to Sears Pond is in serious need of maintenance and blazing.  An Eagle Scout candidate, Forrest Gayer, will be filing a group activity permit with County Parks to lead a trained crew of scout maintainers through here soon.

Fox dens are cut into the sides of ravines caused by ATVs.  The trail meanders through Maple Swamp with its diversely populated series of small ponds to the left and shallow pine needle covered kettles to the right.  In close succession, you cut across several north/south running woods roads.  The trail now begins to angle towards Birch Creek.  Water is visible through the bare branches, some very large old pitch pine trees tower overhead.  A hard right turn leads south. The creek can be seen to the left.

When you reach Owl Pond, you will see a white and blue Paumanok Path emblem on a tree at a “T” intersection. A yellow owl blazed trail leads to the Spinney Road parking area from here. Following the white painted rectangles of the PP east, the trail travels for a short distance along a picturesque stream and swampland that feed into Birch Creek, then through some wetlands and over a brook forded by a couple of logs.  Sunlight shimmers off of the evergreen leaves of the inkberry bushes.

The trail is a little muddy here for a short distance, but the sheep laurel, wintergreen, and various mosses along the trail’s sides will cheer you up.  The path is being encroached by brush for the next quarter mile, but it is passable.  Soon the trail climbs to higher ground, where it is dry and its tread is covered by a spongy duff of pine needles. The trees here are mostly pitch pine with some oak.  The trail cuts across Spinney Rd. Note the “Hiking Only” signs on either side, and the forbidding “No Unauthorized Trespass” County Parks sign.  The County does allow hiking on its trails, so don’t let these signs discourage you from walking them.  Nearing Sears Pond, a yellow owl trail forks to the left.  It heads around the north end of Sears Pond and meets back up with the PP on the other side; this trail gives some excellent views of the pond. Turn right and follow the PP around the southern portion of the pond.   The trail rises up a ridge along one deep kettle hole and then ascends a steep slope with water bars down into another kettle hole that reaches below the water table.  This kettle pond is known as Sears Pond.  As you approach the Southern tip of the pond, you can see water through the naked branches on the left side of the trail.  The trail reaches another “T” intersection, this is where the PP intersects the Black Owl Loop, a trail marked with plastic diamond shaped black owls on a white background.  The PP follows the lower part of this loop through Sears Bellows County Park. The upper segment of this loop runs through Hubbard Creek County Park. Here the trail is marked with black owl blazes along with the white PP rectangles.  Follow a recent re-route that moved the path to higher, dryer ground.  A trail spur to the left offers a better view of Sears Pond.

The trail takes a left turn by Division Pond, and then a right turn onto an administrative road. Bear left, and head north to cross CR 24 and then shortly cross Red Creek Road.  Head up the Black Duck Lodge driveway, following the black owl blazes and the PP blazes.  Be alert for where the PP turns right, away from the driveway.  The black owl blazes continue past the lodge.  We are following just the white blazes now.  After making the right turn, note the tidal wetlands of Hubbard’s Creek to the left of the trail.  Cross over a bridge built by scouts and after a little while turn left onto Red Creek Road.  This road takes you over Hubbard’s Creek. As you cross the culvert see if cattails still survive there, then turn right following the path back into the woods.  At the first major intersection, you can turn left to take a short walk to Penny Pond.  Faded blue owl blazes join the PP blazes.  Follow them across Hildreth Road, a wide woods road.  After passing a second bench, turn right and follow a yellow owl trail down to Old Squires Road.  Turn left and follow the road and yellow owl blazes to turn right for a short walk through the woods behind the ball fields taking you back to the ample parking area.

At the edge of the Core, further northeast along Red Creek Road, we reach a 40.5 acre subdivision whose site plan is yet to be determined.  According to the Central Pine Barrens Comprehensive Land Use Plan of 1995, this parcel “Red Creek Site 3” is a “Critical Resource Area” within the compatible growth area.  This open space is contiguous to the 50,000-acre Pine Barrens Core.  I have guided the Dan’s reader through 43 miles of trail, (Red Creek; Sears Bellows; Hubbard Creek; Sarnoff; and the vast expanse of DEC and County lands beyond) many tens of thousands of acres of contiguous public open space lie to the west. Here the trail will follow an existing path along the southern ridge of a kettle, then hopefully through an easement on this subdivision, onto Red Creek Road near Squires Pond. At this point, development has pushed this regional initiative onto the road.  From Red Creek Road the PP follows Newtown Road to the Shinnecock Canal. The Town has purchased much open space around Squires Pond. Camp Tekawitha on the north side of the Pond was recently preserved by the Town and will be a prime destination for a nature trail or over-night camping for the Paumanok Path.  This trail may have to skirt this property to the north.  Just south of Squires Pond, the Hadley House (Squires family 1700s) was purchased by Southampton Town. There is also a piping plover program nearby.  It looks like Southampton Town is protecting as much as they can at the edge of the core.

Parking at Pleasure Drive, Flanders: the Flanders Presbyterian Church on CR 24 (Flanders Road) is immediately east of the Pleasure Drive / Flanders Road intersection. Drive south on Pleasure Drive until the road takes a sharp curve to the right (immediately after crossing power lines), and turn left into a small parking area with guardrail. Be careful not to block driveway.
From Sunrise Highway exit 64 N. Immediate right from 104 North onto Pleasure Drive – 100 yards to parking area.

Red Creek Park is located off Jackson Ave in Hampton Bays: From Sunrise Highway “Exit 65N, 24 North, Riverhead”.  Travel north on CR 24 a couple hundred yards.  You will see several signs before you bear right onto the turn lane for Old Riverhead Road West.  Look for “State Police”, “Town of Southampton Jackson Ave. Offices”, and “Town Police”.  Turn right onto Old Riverhead Road, pass the entrance to Southampton Town Police, and make the next left into the park.  Where you turn into the park there is a blue and white sign: “Town of Southampton Red Creek Park”.  Once on the road into the park, continue past the picnic areas and enter the last parking field to the right of the flagpole.  Park by the small brown and yellow Southampton Town Trails sign erected between a basketball court and a baseball diamond.  Two hundred feet north along a fence is where the trail begins.  There are diamond shaped yellow STPS owl blazes to mark the access trail to the Paumanok Path (about 1 mile north).  There are pay phones and restrooms near the parking area.

This trail head is hard to find, a kiosk would be helpful.