By lirunning.com - The Makanah Preserve (Crab Meadow Park) is a Suffolk County preserve just East of Northport. It is bordered by 25A on the south, Makanah Road on the East, the Lilco access path on the West and Crab Meadow golf course on the North. There are color-coded trails throughout the preserve. You may access them by taking the Lilco access path just East of the Fort Salonga Inn on the North side of 25A (with a dirt parking area) straight up the hill. At the top of the hill the first preserve trail is on your right. This particular trail is a regular camelback that bounces up and down steep forest hills, aptly named The Pitchforks. The entire preserve follows a ridge across and down to the tidal wetlands behind Crab Meadow. If you follow the trails it is possible to do a 2+ mile loop, more if you want to include the Lilco access path. Some parts of the these trails are quite difficult, but the scenery is wonderful. There is an additional trail access 0.75 miles down Makanah Road on the left. Parking is a wide spot in the road. This location has the only actual color-coded map of the trails that I have found. The Lilco access path runs right up and over the ridge from 25A to Seaside Court (the road to the Crab Meadow golf course) off Waterside Avenue. It is itself a wonderful short run, about a mile from end to end and frequented by families and dog walkers. The top two thirds is more or less flat, wide open and feels like something from another time before roads and cars. If you can find the Crab Meadow golf course, the other end of this path is near the entrance to the golf course, at the bottom of the hill on the right, only a couple hundred feet or so off of Waterside Avenue. There is a big sign for the golf course on Waterside Avenue. There is a dirt area parking on both sides of the road at the foot of the trail. If you take the Lilco access path from this start, the Makanah preserve will be on the top of the hill, but the trails will be on your left, after you pass the golf course.

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