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Jones Beach to Bethpage
Welcome to Hikinglite.com
This page was last updated November 2005
Long Island is where I first learned to use the train/bike combo as transportation.
While the Long Island Rail Road can get you close and your bike can get you the rest
of the way, my experience has been that biking on Long Island often involves narrow
shouldered roads with lots of traffic. There are two exceptions that I know of, and
probably more, and of course LIRR makes them accessible, with an MTA Bike Pass.
The Jones Beach Bike Path from Cedar Creek Park in Seaford to Jones Beach is a
great way to go to the beach. You can take your bike onto the boardwalk from
October - March. This path is a bit noisy, as it parallels the Jones Beach Causeway,
but the island crossings more than make up for the noise. Cedar Creek Park is a
short ride from the Wantagh train station. Cross Sunrise Highway on Beech St, left on
Walters, right on Fir.
Another great ride is the Bethpage Bike Path, which runs about 8 miles from
Bethpage State Park to Merrick Road in Massapequa. Parts of the path are along a
stream and feel totally isolated from suburbia. It is a great oasis near the
Nassau/Suffolk border. The northern portion of the path can be reached from the
Bethpage train station, using Powell Ave to cross the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expwy. Cut
through the woods in front of you to find the path, once you cross over the Expressway.
Head north on the path into Bethpage State Park, or south to Massapequa. The
Massapequa train station can be reached from the path just north of Sunrise Highway.
These two rides make one great ride by biking through Seaford. Use this link for
another site with the route to avoid biking on Merrick Road. I still recommend carrying
a Nassau County map.
Lunch Spots:
There are places to eat in Bethpage and Wantagh. My favorite lunch is to get some
food from the deli/butcher in the shopping center at Merrick Road and Hicksville Road
in Massapequa, and then ride a few blocks to Massapequa Lake, near the southern
end of the Bethpage Bike Path.
Links:
http://www.longislandexchange.com/jones-beach.html
Long Island is where I first learned to use the train/bike combo as transportation.
While the Long Island Rail Road can get you close and your bike can get you the rest
of the way, my experience has been that biking on Long Island often involves narrow
shouldered roads with lots of traffic. There are two exceptions that I know of, and
probably more, and of course LIRR makes them accessible, with an MTA Bike Pass.
The Jones Beach Bike Path from Cedar Creek Park in Seaford to Jones Beach is a
great way to go to the beach. You can take your bike onto the boardwalk from
October - March. This path is a bit noisy, as it parallels the Jones Beach Causeway,
but the island crossings more than make up for the noise. Cedar Creek Park is a
short ride from the Wantagh train station. Cross Sunrise Highway on Beech St, left on
Walters, right on Fir.
Another great ride is the Bethpage Bike Path, which runs about 8 miles from
Bethpage State Park to Merrick Road in Massapequa. Parts of the path are along a
stream and feel totally isolated from suburbia. It is a great oasis near the
Nassau/Suffolk border. The northern portion of the path can be reached from the
Bethpage train station, using Powell Ave to cross the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expwy. Cut
through the woods in front of you to find the path, once you cross over the Expressway.
Head north on the path into Bethpage State Park, or south to Massapequa. The
Massapequa train station can be reached from the path just north of Sunrise Highway.
These two rides make one great ride by biking through Seaford. Use this link for
another site with the route to avoid biking on Merrick Road. I still recommend carrying
a Nassau County map.
Lunch Spots:
There are places to eat in Bethpage and Wantagh. My favorite lunch is to get some
food from the deli/butcher in the shopping center at Merrick Road and Hicksville Road
in Massapequa, and then ride a few blocks to Massapequa Lake, near the southern
end of the Bethpage Bike Path.
Links:
http://www.longislandexchange.com/jones-beach.html
