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The Mulvihill
Preserve |
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The 75-acre Mulvihill Preserve is the centerpiece of a
200-acre patchwork of preserves. It includes an
extraordinarily beautiful oak, hickory, beech and laurel
forest with views of the man-made Mulvihill Pond, streams,
smaller ponds, and glacial erratics. It is a lovely hike,
about four miles long. The hike begins on Brick Kiln Road,
0.4 mile north of Scuttle Hole Road, across from Bridge Lane
in Bridgehampton.
Mike
Bottini, a naturalist for the Group for the South Fork,
writer of “South Fork Outdoors” for the Southampton Press,
and author of a superb trails book, Trail Guide to the South
Fork, was instrumental in designing this new trail. A small,
hard-working group of trail maintainers for the Southampton
Trails Preservation Society created
this trail. It was dedicated
on October 26, 2003. The preservation of this property was
made possible through a cooperative effort by three
environmentally sensitive families – the Mulvihill, Zebrowki,
and Schellinger families who worked
with officials from
Southampton Town, The Peconic Land Trust, and Suffolk County
in order to formulate a plan for the preservation of this
land. |
The trail is marked with yellow owl blazes. It runs from a
50-foot wide, half-mile long corridor through a laurel woods
to the 50-acre Fair Hills Greenbelt. The trail continues
past Mulvihill Pond on the left. You will cross over two
small, wooden bridges. The second one crosses the stream
that feeds
the Mulvihill Pond; note the cement dam used
to create the Pond. Approximately 60 yards past the second
bridge, you will approach a woods road forming a four-way
intersection. Walking to the right takes you towards private
property, walking straight ahead or to the left will take
you on a loop about 2.5 miles long, and bring you back to
this intersection. I suggest that you begin hiking the loop
by turning left rather than going straight ahead – it makes
for a more scenic walk. The trail travels along the western
edge of the Great Swamp. Here, it visits a huge American
beech tree and a vernal pond. Continue to follow the yellow
owl blazes. You will find yourself walking on a raised,
linear mound dating back to the 1700’s. During this time
period, when wood was scarce, these mounds were built to act
as fences in order to contain livestock. You will then pass
through a stand of white pine trees, planted
by the Mulvihill family during the 1920’s. Soon after, you
will see a Paumanok Path emblem and white rectangular blazes
marking the place where this loop intersects with the
Paumanok Path. Along the way, you will see both occasional
yellow owl blazes and white rectangular blazes because this
section of the hike encompasses both the Yellow Owl Loop and
the Paumanok Path. Follow the Paumanok Path until you see
two yellow owl blazes. The top blaze will be set off to the
left. Go left in order to continue the Yellow Owl Loop. The
loop then returns through the
Greenbelt to the four-way intersection, where you walk
straight across the woods road and continue back through the
corridor of laurel woods to your starting point at Brick
Kiln Road.
Directions to the Mulvihill Preserve:
Traveling east through Water Mill on
Montauk
Highway, look for Scuttle Hole Road. There is a Hess Gas
Station (with restroom facilities and a mini-mart) at the
corner on the north side of Montauk Highway. Scuttle Hole
Road is just after that. Turn left onto Scuttle Hole Road.
Travel three miles until you see Brick Kiln Road; make a
left onto it. Travel 0.4 of a mile to the entrance of the
trail. It is opposite Bridge Hill Lane. Park on the shoulder
of Brick Kiln Road in front of the yellow and black sign
with an arrow on it. The entrance to the trail can be seen
from this point. You may have to get out of your car and
actually walk along the shoulder, back towards
Scuttle
Hole Road,
a very short distance before you actually find the entrance
to this trail. A more formal parking area or a sign erected
here would help to make this trail more user friendly.
William P.Mulvihill obituary
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