David Weld Sanctuary Tour

Okay, so here's the deal from start to finish.

The parking area only holds 6 vehicles. If it's filled up you'll have to park down the road a ways and possibly illegally.

The trail starts out very green, very wide(8+ feet) and very sunny(and hot) in a mid August at noon. The signs say no dogs. Good thing my 20lb black Chi-weenie identifies as a 6 year old girl. No matter because we never saw anyone on the trail during the 3.5 mile hike. The trail does eventually turn into a normal trail hike with turns and hills. We took the long route by adding the area marked with dotted lines which takes you to Boney lane where you can double back to the main trail marked in red on AllTrails map. It adds a mile and a quarter to the total trek.

The trail is 90% clear with the occasional spider web across the face, those crazy fleas that circle around your head and some thin thorny branch hanging in the path. I usually bring my clippers to do a little community service but forgot them this time. They weren't vital thankfully because the trail was very clear and well marked with yellow arrows on the trees.

We also saw some white tailed deer.

The highlight was definitely the beach view toward the end. There are at least 3 ways to get to the beach. The first one located on the return is a high up cliff that looks down. I do not recommend trying to get to the beach from there unless you fancy a broken leg. It is a beautiful view though with a bench to sit on. The second one also has a bench with green lawn and will give you access to the beach. The third one we didn't explore.

All in all, I highly recommend the David Weld Sanctuary trail.

See photos

Small trail. Beach view is awesome climbing rocks near the shore was fun.

Fun trail. Lots of variety in scenery. You go from fields, to forest like, to a swamp, back to forest then to cliffs overlooking the Sound. Took the kiddos and they loved it. The hilly part is fun to explore as it is the remnants of the Ice Age glaciers. Beautifully straight Tulip Tree, too. Take the map along with you and you won't get lost. I had my 13 year old navigating. No issues. You can go completely right around the swamp or straight past it, keeping it on your left, and head to the bluffs. Then you can also explore the hilly south side of the swamp and detour back to the parking area. The parking is the worst of it all. We had to wait for someone to return from the hike to get a spot. Only parking for six cars, but we squeezed in seven. I can't imagine trying to get a spot on the nice spring and summer days. It is one we'd like to explore in each season.

Very scenic. Good for a nice stroll so nothing serious. However, parking is limited and the trails are confusing.

Very nice place for a quiet walk through woods and along beach

Nice for a leisurely stroll.

This is a nice hike that leads to some views of the water. Pretty good distance and great for all ages. It’s also lovely in the summer months.

It was very nice. The trails had several openings to the sound and the views were beautiful.

Nice walk in the woods with water views . Well marked and trail is much longer then showed .

nice but not challenging trail. scenery makes up for the mildness.

It was beautiful, peaceful when I first arrived. Saw many chipmunks However, There were so many trails I didn't know which one led me to the beach. I hiked for a long time and literally hit dead ends twice that led me to streets!!! I eventually took one back to my truck. I will go back another day and try again to find the trail that leads to the beach. I'm determined .

Not as great as everyone makes it out to be. Not challenging.

This trail is insanely confusing and Poorly kept. I don't suggest it at all.

The views are gorgeous here and the walk is pretty easy. You need to wear some good bug spray though, I picked up 2 ticks the first time and 4 the second despite staying on the trail and wearing bug spray.. needless to say, I'm not going back. As a disclaimer though, I was wearing sweatpants both times and the people I was with were in shorts and they didn't get a single one even though they had no bug spray on. I also heard that ticks were supposed to be terrible this summer all over so maybe that was it, but I doubt it as I haven't had problems with other trails.

I really like this trail. There's often deer and the view from the bluffs is superb. Definitely a nice place to sit and hang out for a while. The parking situation is terrible though - only 6 spots and nowhere nearby to park aside from the parking lot without getting ticketed and due to its out-of-the-way location for most people, you can waste a lot of time coming here and finding out you can't do the trail.

First time here! Very nice walk. Could be a little better marked as we got turned around a bit.

Enjoyable time

Amazing!!

Absolutely beautiful even on a cloudy day

it's a shame that people had to ruin this hiking trail for others. I got a ticket because I didn't think it was a big deal to park there for a small hike after work but now I understand. People are idiots and ruin the nice things we have left in this world. please if you go here be respectful. but also just a warning YOU WILL GET A TICKET IF YOU ARE HERE PAST 5. Beautiful place, great hike, map is a bit confusing but other than that this place just needs a better place to park.

was able to get a spot in the parking lot. views of the ocean were beautiful and the park was very nice but when I got back to my car I had a parking ticket. no clue why!

Unfortunately there is only parking for 6 cars so couldn't get in. Alternatively we drove down to Short Beach and hiked passed this trail on the beach - amazing views.

Very Nice Park. Good Location And Enjoyfull Beach

Beautiful, simple park. Fantastic views of the sound. Beginner trail. Parking is an issue with only 6 spots and enforcement of no parking of street.

Be aware of the Nissequogue River cops. The park closes at 5pm, even though every other Smithtown park closes at dusk. The cops on their high horses will lock the gates any time after 5pm locking everyone inside with tickets on their windows. You will then have to call them, if you have reception, to open the gates back up.

Went this morning with my son. Great time and easy pace. Packed a day pack just to start to get into shape and it was well worth it. We walked all around it.
Get early only 6 parking spots and it's first come first serve.

We went with the kids. You can extend the hike some taking loops. Some trails not perfectly kept or well traveled but that added to the fun for us. We had lunch on the beach looking at the sound.

Bring Bug Spray, little parking. A very easy hike, through a grassy field, into the forest and then onto the bluff. Worth the ride.