West Meadow Wetlands Reserve
Park
122 acres3.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Iracaz · CC BY-SA 3.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Stony Brook
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Stony Brook
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: West Meadow Wetlands Reserve (3.3 mi). 5% of Stony Brook’s land is conserved, about 179 acres.
Conserved land
5%
179 acres · of 5.8 sq mi of land
Trails
7.4 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
292 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.0 mi
1.8 mi lanes · 2.2 mi paths
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is West Meadow Wetlands Reserve, with 3.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Oxhead Road Park
Managed by Town of Brookhaven Department of Parks, Recreation and Sports, and Cultural Resources
10 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Youngs Island Tidal Wetland
Nature preserve
6 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Coed Park
Park
5 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
West Meadow Wetlands Reserve122 acres · 3.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCoed Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Parson Drive Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Sycamore Circle Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Town of Brookhaven Department of Parks, Recreation and Sports, and Cultural Resources
T. Bayles Minuse Mill Pond Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Ward Melville Heritage Organization
DirectionsOxhead Road Park10 acres · Town of Brookhaven Department of Parks, Recreation and Sports, and Cultural Resources
DirectionsYoungs Island Tidal Wetland6 acres
DirectionsStrathmore Park5 acres · Town of Brookhaven Department of Parks, Recreation and Sports, and Cultural Resources
DirectionsWho protects it
179 conserved acres
5% of Stony Brook’s land. Water is left out: Stony Brook has 5.8 square miles of land and 0.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Stony Brook’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city174 ac
County39 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government11 ac
Regional Water Districts5 ac
State conservation5 ac
Local Park · 219 acLocal Other or Unknown · 5 acState Conservation Area · 5 acLocal Recreation Area · 5 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 12 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOWN OF BROOKHAVENC/O DEPT OF FINANCE Land Local Park | Town or city | 138 | Unknown |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| County Park Local Park | County | 16 | Open |
| Coed Lane Park Local Park | County | 13 | Open |
| West Meadow Town Beach Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 11 | Open |
| Oxhead Road Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| SUFFOLK COUNTYWATER AUTHORITY Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 5 | Unknown |
| Youngs Island State Tidal Wetland State Conservation Area | State conservation | 5 | Open |
| Strathmore Ball Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Town Of Smithtown Land Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Unknown |
Things to do
21 places to go in Stony Brook
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Stony Brook
Sand Street Beach
DirectionsWest Meadow Beach
DirectionsPlus 6 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Stony Brook
12 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Stony Brook
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Biking & sports
4.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
13Tennis
11Baseball
3Soccer
2Pickleball
1Beach volleyball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Stony Brook: April to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 41 | 48 | 59 | 68 | 78 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 65 | 54 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.1 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.5 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Stony Brook →
Next door
Stony Brook and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Brookhaven592 miSmithtown101 miEast Setauket33 miStony Brook7.4 miHead of the Harbor5.8 miStony Brook University4.6 miOld Field2.2 miSt. James1.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stony Brook | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Stony Brook University | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Smithtown | 20% | 1.9 | 46 | 99% | A+ |
| Brookhaven | 25% | 2.3 | 79 | 99% | A+ |
| Head of the Harbor | 10% | 2.1 | 142 | 88% | A+ |
| East Setauket | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Old Field | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| St. James | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Stony Brook
Where can I hike in Stony Brook?
The longest trail networks: West Meadow Wetlands Reserve, 3.3 miles; Coed Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Stony Brook’s trails?
West Meadow Wetlands Reserve and Oxhead Road Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Stony Brook?
4.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.8 of painted or protected lanes and 2.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Stony Brook?
25,577 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Stony Brook or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 292 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Stony Brook neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →