Sunken Meadow State Park - 1,200 Acres Of Fun Is Getting An Update

By Dana Klosner

(click on photos to enlarge)

Sunken Meadow State Park is a 1,200 acre beach front park. If you’ve been to Sunken Meadow you know it offers loads of amenities. These include bike trails, bridle trails, kayaking, canoeing, windsurfing, paddle boarding, fishing-including night time fishing permits, a 27 hole golf course, picnic areas with barbeque grill and pits, hiking trails, playgrounds, playing fields for softball, volleyball and soccer. In the off-season it is frequently used by cross country runners. Local high schools hold major meets and practice meets at the park, according to park director, Jeff Mason. It is open sunrise to sunset, seven days a week. The golf course is open year round. Lessing’s caterers have a hall overlooking the beach. Tee to Green runs golf pro shop at the clubhouse where they rent golf carts and have a driving range. Boces Scope runs environment programs with educational learning labs for school groups. They also run an environmental camp in the summer. For more information on the camp or to set up an environmental program call Doug Schmid at 631-269-4343. Schmid oversees Caleb Smith State Park Preserve and the Connetquot River State Park as well as Sunken Meadow State Park. 

If you’ve been to Sunken Meadow recently you also may know they are undergoing renovations. They started with important infrastructure improvements. Now in phase II of the project that started last year, work continues. 

 During Phase II, which started a few weeks ago and is set to take about a year, a number of more visible projects will happen. The bathrooms at the Field One Bath House, including the shower rooms will all be remodeled. This will take place during the off season when the bathrooms are closed anyway, because they are not heated. There will also be the construction of an environmental display and classroom area. 

Emergency services will be moved from the East Side of the bath house to the West side where a new office space is being built. This is being built where the stockade area is next to the bath house. When it is completed there will be a ramp to lead up to the boardwalk for public access to the park police. 

“We will have all emergency service personnel on one side at the back of the stockade gate near the traffic circle,” Mason said. “This way it doesn’t affect public access to the beach or boardwalk.”

The park office will be moved two doors down, remaining on the East side of the bath house. 

“We’re moving it to a bigger space,” Mason said. “The space they have now is tiny and when we’re busy selling lots of Empire Passports it’s really too small.” 

There will also be a lifeguard break room area added.  

 “As far as lengthening the boardwalk, I’m not sure if something’s going to happen,” Mason said. “We haven’t really talked about that.” 

This is all part of a master plan that was discussed during a public hearing the year of Superstorm Sandy, Mason said.

Sunken Meadow State Park is located in Kings Park, Smithtown.

Sunken Meadow Pkwy, Kings Park, NY 11754 (631) 269-4333