Recently, I decided to take my dog to Belmont Lake State Park, located in West Babylon, NY.
Getting There
The park is located off exit 38 on the Southern State Parkway on Long Island, NY. When you get off the exit, you go directly into the park. Follow the signs to the parking lot.
Before you pull into the parking lot, you will come across a booth to pay the parking fee, which is seasonal. There is a main parking lot, but if that lot is full, there is another lot further up the road.
The Park
The park is located around Belmont Lake. There is a walking path you can take that goes around the perimeter of the lake. The park also has a small dog run available that is separated into 2 runs: one for small dogs and another for large dogs.
If you come without your dog, there are 2 playgrounds for the kids, picnic tables, basketball courts, a baseball field, horseshoes, and bocce courts to take advantage of.
In the summer, they have pedal boats, rowboats, and kayaks for use on the lake.
Arrival
We arrived around 10am. Being that this is the “off season”, we did not have to pay an entrance fee. We did not have any trouble finding a decent place to park, as the park is not crowded this time of year.
We began by walking down the middle path to get to the lake where the walking path is.
The Path
The walking path around the lake was well maintained and paved. We walked clockwise around Belmont Lake. On the main section by the lake, there were several benches where you and your dog could just sit and relax by the water.
As you continue on your journey, you will pass the area where they have the kayak and boat rentals. You will also walk next to the parkway, where there is another trail you can take that goes to Great South Bay, which we did not do on this visit.
The entire path around Belmont Lake, walking at a leisurely pace, took us about 50 minutes.
Pros:
- Well maintained walking trail.
- Not crowded in the off season.
- Garbage cans throughout the trail to dispose of any waste.
- If your dog is not too tuckered out after walking the trail, there is a dog run available.
- Path is flat and easy to walk.
Cons:
- In the summer, this park could be very crowded.
- When we went, there were a lot of people walking their dogs, so if your dog is not good around other dogs, you may want to skip coming here.
Verdict
This was a very nice walk for us. My dog was done after the walk and meeting so many dogs on the trail, not to mention all the scents from other dogs and animals in the area. We just walked around the lake and then left, but you could easily spend more time here at the dog run and maybe sitting for a nice picnic afterwards if the weather is nice.
Information
Address:
Belmont Lake State Park
Southern State Parkway Exit 38
North Babylon, NY
631-667-5055
Hours:
The park is open from sunrise to sunset every day.
Fees:
The vehicle entrance fee is $8.00 and is collected:
Weekends and holidays:
4/6/24 to 5/19/24: 8am – 4pm
5/25/24 to 9/2/24: 7am – 6pm
9/7/24 to 10/14/24: 8am – 4pm
Monday- Friday:
5/25/24 to 9/2/24: 8am – 4pm
This park accepts the Empire Pass.
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