Gardiner County Park

Jinx Thinks: 

I’m a water dog, so I love when we walk to the beach here. There’s a path that goes straight to it from the parking lot, but I like walking through the trails and then heading to the beach. On the trails I have to stay on a leash, but there are a few dog runs here where I can be free. I prefer the agility pen the most of the three!

Our Thoughts: 

We love the variety of scenery at Gardiner. You can start out in the more wooded area by the parking lot (to the left), and continue on towards the beach. There are tons of short paths that all connect, making it easy to customize how long or short of a walk you want. The trails themselves are easy to walk on, they’re pretty wide and flat, and are all marked by signs so you know exactly where you are. (There are also maps near the sign at the entrance). The trails do tend to get muddy after a rain, so you should plan your footwear accordingly.

We have met so many nice people and dogs here, almost everyone walking in this park will have a dog with them, but we do try to avoid the dog runs on weekends (except the agility pen where we can usually be alone or with one other dog), because they get very crowded and Jinx is still pretty timid in that type of situation. 

Fun Facts & Sights to See:

• Historical Fact: This property was owned by the Gardiner Family, the first European landowners on Long Island. The park & Sagtikos Manor house across the street (also now owned by Suffolk County), are part of the same property. George Washington stayed there during his tour of Long Island in 1790! During the Revolutionary War, the estate was headquarters for the British Army for a brief time