Shu Swamp Nature Preserve — Attraction in Town of Oyster Bay

Recently we too a walk through the Shu Swamp Nature Preserve. It is located off of the Frost Mill road and it is comprised of a low-laying nature preserve with a swamp that is surrounded by thick forest and damp wet land. This area is covered in little streams that criss cross the floor of the forest and eventually lead to the swamp! The Shu Swamp Nature Preserve also shares a border with the Humes Preserve making it ideal to mix and match the trails!

The Trail: The Shu Swamp trail cuts through the forest floor and follow meandering streams and creeks all the way to the Shu Swamp itself! There is a nice viewing point there that overlooks the Swamp. The trails that snake through Shu Swamp range from very easy flat trails that follow to a slight challenge if weather conditions are not favourable. The weather on the day that we visited was hot and humid and it definitely added a slight difficulty to the trail but nothing too hard. The surface of the path in Shu Swamp is made up of compacted dirt in sections and other sections of the path are made up of a layer of wood chippings which seem to have been added recently! The trails in Shue Swamp arewell worn so it is very easy to follow however you could get a little turned around while you are in there.

Wildlife: The Shu Swamp Nature Preserve was full of bird life on the day that we were there. At the pond area there is a platform and it was from here where we seen a number of large fish in the water as well as a wild turtle! We also seen fish swimming in the streams that are spread out through Shu Swamp.

Clothing/Footwear: I recommend having good footwear even for this light hike however, a good pair of shoes or sneakers would be good enough for the trails here and light layers with bug spray during the Summer months. You might need warmer layers later in the year for the colder winter months and more sturdy ankle support footwear.

Carpark: There is a carpark however, I am not entirely sure how big or small it is as we parked in the Humes Preserve carpark.

Note: We did not run into any issues walking through here during the day in July however, the trails through Shu Swamp could have a lot of mosquitoes in the evenings or later in the year. I would suggest that you wear plenty of bug spray and bring extra in case you need more. Another thing to note is that there was a lot of Poison Ivy dotted along the trails so watch out!

Overall Opinion: I highly recommend swinging by the Shu Swamp Nature Preserve for a walk. Its a great amenity in the local area to take in...

Greatest place on long island. So secluded and peaceful. I try to keep this place a secret because its so amazing and special. My favorite is how the trail follows a stream of water and and it is so quiet thats all you hear besides birds. it really opens up i thought it would've been small the first time i went but man i let it shock me and everytime i go there i never am disappointed. Its an amazing experience if you're into nature. The lake is nice too all the fish come up and greet you :) I will always love shu swamp. My favorite place to escape i hope it stays an untouched beauty forever. Although i do wish they had an outhouse since it is open to the public there isn't anything close so make sure you go use the bathroom before if you need to. You can spend hours here as I do and it would suck holding it in so just a heads up. Hopefully they think about...

Treked all the way there with kids to find it "closed"...a hand written sign with a scribbled statement that it was closed today. No reason, rhyme, or explanation. What?! Why did it say open online when I checked? I also called, and reached an answering machine(I called several times. I left a message with no response as of yet). Be careful if you make the trip...it may be closed on a whim. In addition, when I tried to inquire at the post office(which was a few blocks down the road), I was rudely told by the postal employee that she didn't know..."They were a post office." Yes, thank you for the basic kindness of humanity.....the police station was just as welcoming. BTW, both stations were not busy. Just a heads up;...