Hither Woods

Bring your fatbike! This is the spot for it. Lots of singletrack/doubletrack through rolling hills that can be a bit sandy, especially on Stephen Talkhouse Path/Coastal Trail. You can even hop over Montauk Highway for a ride on the ocean beach. I'd suggest planning your route so that you can ride some trail first, then air-down for a beach ride before returning to the trailhead. I rated this 5 stars based on the fact that, other than Northwest Woods, these are the only MTB trails on the East End, and the views are phenomenal, especially riding the ocean beach sand.

Biked 10 miles of trails today. Very fun, mostly easy. Beginners and intermediate riders will love the sprawling trails, fun to get lost. Advanced riders may be a little bored.

First, I rode Hither Hills on Saturday, November 19th (likely the last warm day for a while in the northeast). I mention it for a couple of reasons: Other reviews mention thorns and ticks. I didn't experience either. Likely because of the time of the year. Because most of the leaves have fallen, it likely hid the thorns. It also made the trails a bit difficult to read, Not well defined as they would be during the summer. I was also a little apprehensive because I saw lots of signs for open hunting season (bow only). Rifle hunting season begins on December 1st. Didn't see anyone for most of the ride.

Personally, I thought the trails were pretty difficult. Not that technical but LOTS of uphill-downhill....

I parked at the state park on the south side. Next time I'll park at the overlook. From the state park it was solid uphill to the trailhead. From the overlook you have a few choices.

I started on Petticoat Hill trail which leads down to the east. I made a right and headed northeast on a "somewhat" paved road. It lead parallel to the LIRR railroad tracks. I crossed over to the Stephen Talkhouse trail. Absolutely beautiful. Along the cliffs. Be careful of the sand. Lots to deal with. This is also where I started running into the uphill-downhill sections.

From there I picked the Old North Road. If I remember correctly, it was marked with white blazes. Once I got up to the northeast end of the park (near Rocky Point) things got a little confusing. I didn't think the trails were marked well from this point. I spent some time trying to get my bearings (incuding a loop through Laurel Canyon). That section of the park borders on an old landfill (all grass hills, no garbage, no smell, actually very pretty with a great view). I ended up looping back around until I eventually picked up the white blazes near the recycling center. From there you can take the parkway trail or Old Montauk Road. The parkway trail is essentially next to Montauk Highway. Since I wanted to enjoy the scenery, I stayed on Old Montauk Road (which ran a bit further into the park - but still parallel to the road). That eventually brought me back to the Lookout Point.

Overall a great ride. About 12-13 miles. Not exactly sure since I stopped a couple of times and forgot to start my GPS app once.

Hither Hills State Park is beautiful. However, its virtually impossible to get a campsite during the summer (on the weekends). Day parking is $10... but if you have an Empire Passport, it's free. You can pick up a free map at the park. Not the easiest to read. I relied on some of the reviews here which were very helpful.

You'll also have access to showers, the beach, bathrooms (and depending on the time of the year) a snack bar.

As a mentioned, I rode in November. If you ride during the warm months be mindful of ticks. VERY common on Long Island - especially in Montauk.

Finally, again a seasonal comment: If you go out during the warm months be ready to battle with the traffic. VERY congested during the summer. If you're making a day trip GO EARLY. I would imagine the overlook parking lot (capacity: about 20 cars) fills up quickly.

If your in the Montauk area this is a great trail. Pretty easy to find your way around. Nothing too crazy, some nice hills and rolling sections.

Quick 10ml plus circuit. Varies from quick passages, bay views, some sand, some forest. Multiple entry points, the overlook usually has maps. Beware of ticks. Usually ATT cell coverage. And a good amount of thorns, if you're not tubeless bring at least one replacement tube and air (my fat bike experience with Bud and Lou).

Great singletrack trails along the northern cliffs on the Sound, along with wide access paths/roads in the woods. Not too much in the way of technical challenges, but great scenery and some interesting terrain. No great grades to worry about, but there are parts of the power line access road that are steep and all loose sand/rock that could catch someone out. Great place for a beginner to experience mountain biking, for sure.

The trails were pretty well maintained considering the number of miles of trails hither wood has. I forgot to wear bug spray and I didn't get eaten alive. I found the trails flowed very well and the hill climbs were fun. I really enjoyed hither wood its worth the 1-2 hour drive if you live on long island.

The trails were pretty well maintained considering the number of miles of trails hither wood has. I forgot to wear bug spray and I didn't get eaten alive. I found the trails flowed very well and the hill climbs were fun. I really enjoyed hither wood its worth the 1-2 hour drive if you live on long island.

Had some trouble finding the trail head so just sorta hopped on by the campgrounds... super fun not very technical but has some nice climbs and descends. lots of different routes to take and some nice rolls to get a good speed going at parts....BEWARE OF TICKS. seriously, i was ripping them off me left and right they don't spray out there!

Nice ride, good distance. Coast trials have the views, but sandy. Interior trails have the fun single track, but no views. Montauk Bike Shop has good rentals, great guys.

Good variety. Mostly short singletrack sections. A couple of good short chutes.

Fun trails with enough different routes so you can have as long a ride as you want. You can start at the recycling center or the overlook. The recycling center offers three trail heads to chose from and is a good place for meeting groups. Fun downhill sections and some tight single track mixed width sandy bluffs and the occasional double track. Take a good look at the maps posted at the trailhead because there's a power line access road that you don't want to get stuck riding for too long. Great views of Gardner's Bay. You can stretch a ride from 6 miles to almost 20 if you don't mind overlapping trails a bit. Bring an extra tube or two as the thorns out here are menacing. If you're here in the summer it's great to stop at one of the seafood shacks on napeague stretch and grab a bite and a beer after your ride.

The trail starts on the overlook on the Serpent's back trail. (Follow the white trail markers)This trail goes along the bluffs of Montauk. This trail flows nice ,but it is a little sandy in some parts. The view is surreal.. BRING A CAMERA!!!!!!!