Cold Spring Harbor State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cold Spring Harbor State Park |
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| Type | State park |
| Location | 95 Harbor Road Cold Spring Harbor, New York |
| Area | 47 acres (19 ha) |
| Created | 2000 |
| Operated by | New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation |
| Visitors | 165,484 (in 2014) |
| Open | All year |
| Website | Cold Spring Harbor State Park |
Cold Spring Harbor State Park is a cool place to visit in New York! It's a state park that covers about 47 acres, which is like 35 football fields. You can find it in Suffolk County, New York, right on Long Island's north shore. This hilly park opened in the year 2000 and gives you amazing views of Cold Spring Harbor.
How the Park Began
This park has an interesting past! New York State bought the land in the 1960s. Back then, it was meant to be part of a bridge that would connect Long Island to Connecticut. A famous planner named Robert Moses had this idea.
But the bridge was never built. So, the land was mostly forgotten for a long time. Even though it was unused, it still belonged to the New York State Department of Parks.
Years later, a librarian in Cold Spring Harbor needed space for a new library. This led state officials to remember the unused land. Finally, in 2000, this beautiful area officially became Cold Spring Harbor State Park!
What You Can Do at the Park
Cold Spring Harbor State Park is about 47 acres of mostly steep, wooded hills. The park is kept very natural and undeveloped. This means it's a great place to enjoy nature quietly.
You can do many fun things here, like:
- Hiking: Explore the trails and enjoy the fresh air.
- Birdwatching: Look for different birds, including large ones like great horned owls and red-tailed hawks.
- Snowshoeing: If there's snow, you can strap on snowshoes and walk through the winter wonderland.
- Cross-country skiing: On snowy days, you can also glide across the park on skis.
The park is also connected to another cool place called Trail View State Park. Trail View is a long, narrow park, about 7.4 miles long. It was built on land that was once planned for a highway. Trail View State Park connects Cold Spring Harbor State Park all the way to Bethpage State Park.
