New Trail Opens in Riverhead

In October, we welcomed the first hikers to the Granttham Preserve trail. The new trail runs one mile along the property boundary with scenic views of historic farm fields and the agricultural landscape that is so central to Riverhead Town’s character. The trail then continues around a half mile loop through a spectacular meadow located on the Trust’s adjacent Reeve Preserve. The meadow is great for spotting our native wildlife and migrating birds. The total there-and-back trip is approximately 2.5 miles.

Hikers were treated to views of stunning autumnal leaves, native grasses, nearby fruit trees, and field crops. The trail wouldn’t have been possible without the work of a local Boy Scout, Noah Berry. In 2022, he led a team of volunteers to cut through dense underbrush to open up a one-mile trail for his Eagle Scout project. Prior to this the boundary line was overgrown and impossible to walk through. He also flagged a loop through the meadow, laying the groundwork for future work.

This fall, Matt Daly of MGD Horticultural Services and his team built upon Noah’s work by removing large obstacles from the trail and resurfacing the trail with locally sourced mulch. Matt and his crew also redesigned the existing driveway to include two parking spaces available to those looking to access this trail.

The trail is open to the public daily from dawn to dusk. Access the trail and parking area through the East entrance of 4146 Sound Avenue, Riverhead.

Thank you to Matt Daly of North Fork Natives and Jessie McSwane, Senior Stewardship Manager at the Trust for leading the hike.

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This program was part of the Peconic Land Trust’s 40th-anniversary celebration, with a year-long focus on bringing you to 40 special places whose conservation has had an impact on our communities.

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