Blydenburgh County Park, Hauppauge NY

[Hanz]

Blydenburgh County Park's main feature is Stump Pond. Stump Pond is man made and was created to drive the Mill that's still standing by the beach you launch from. Suffolk County opened up the pond to canoes and kayaks in 2013, before you had to rent a jonboat.

You must use the park's Northern entrance. Take Rte 25/25A to Brooksite Drive and make a Right onto New Mill Rd. Follow New Mill Rd into the park and park in the parking lot. You have a 350 yard carry down the historical, sandy dirt, New Mill Rd down to the pond.


Blydenburgh County Park by Hansen.Dougie, on Flickr

Here's a overhead view of the path you take from the parking lot to the pond:


Parking Lot to Pond Path by Hansen.Dougie, on Flickr

I paddled it in September and the pond was very, very weedy. Lots of aquatic plants growing all the way up to the water's surface. It made for a tough paddle.


View from the launch by Hansen.Dougie, on Flickr

The pond also hosted an unusually high number of swans. I counted 23 in view from one spot.

It made for a nice, mid-day paddle.

Here are links to some photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hansendougie/sets/72157635701250906/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hansendougie/sets/72157635703250955/

 

[oldie moldy]

Hi Hanz, Great report, interesting photos! Those swans, are they the one's that are so aggressive? That one photo titled "Should I walk?" reminds me of when I was paddling with my wife's shelty, he was just a pup and decided to bail on me and run about. Very surprised pup. I grabbed him and plopped him back in the canoe; in the rescue process a bunch of vegetation got caught up and my stars what a multitude of life started crawling out of it. Bugs of all kinds. Some of them looked pretty ferocious (on a small scale) back over the side they went! But I was impressed what kind of bio-mass must be supported in the pond's grasses.

Thanks for the report!
Best Wishes,

Rob

 

[Hanz]

Rob,
Yes, the swans can be aggressive. I got too close to a nest when I was around ten years old and paid for it. I barely escaped, lol.
Dogs are always fun, aren't they?
I'm glad you enjoyed the report,
Doug

 

[Robin]

If I remember correctly, years ago the pond was only open to rental row boats and no private craft. Is that correct? I always wanted to go there with my canoe, but never got a chance.
Those swans are cute but can be a real hazard when you get near their space. I heard they taste like chicken.

 

[oldie moldy]

Robin,
Won't you need a bigger cold handle fry pan for that?

Rob

 

[Waterspyder]

Stump Pond (Blydenburg) was closed to private craft for years. It's a strange relationship. The pond is part of the county park but the small headwaters stream for the Nissequogue River is State property once the water flows from the pond over the spillway for a former mill. The stream becomes part of Caleb Smith State park at that point and is off limits for paddlers. The stream heads north to Smithtown by the Bull near RT 25 where there is a state put-in for paddling what I'll refer to as the lower Nissequogue as it flows north to Long Island Sound. From that put in you can paddle north about 4 miles through primarily marshland but only a short 500 foot or so distance south before coming to a private house (another former mill) and a small dam on the private property. The state does not permit paddling on the upper portion of the Nissequogue so once you get to the private property you need to turn around. The upper NIssequogue between Stump Pond and Smithtown is a nice narrow winding stream that a very small number of people from the local paddling club are permitted to paddle once a year after fishing season to complete a clean up of the stream. Weird situation a small group can paddle on one day after getting state permission at the end of fishing season to clean up the debris left by the fishermen and hikers but can't paddle during fishing season.

 

[Robin]

I agree, the area is a really nice place to paddle and I understand the need to protect it from over use, but it would be nice to allow local paddlers a trip or two yearly down such a small intimate stream in such a highly populated area.