Bill Paterson Nature Center - Syosset, NY
Bill Paterson Nature Center – Dog-Friendly Trails in Syosset, NY
Located at 34 Muttontown Ln, the Bill Paterson Nature Center serves as a welcoming gateway to the renowned Muttontown Preserve in Syosset, New York. Known for its pet-friendly trails and beautiful forested landscape, this nature center offers dog lovers a chance to explore meadows, woodlands, and even the intriguing King Zog’s ruins with their four-legged companions. The preserve is a popular destination for those seeking dog-friendly hiking near Syosset and offers ample opportunities for outdoor adventure and wildlife spotting.
The park features a spacious, free parking lot for visitors, well-marked (though sometimes tricky) hiking paths, and restroom facilities when the nature center is open. While specific amenities for dogs like fenced runs or off-leash areas are not mentioned, leashed dogs are welcome to enjoy the many scenic walking trails alongside their owners. This makes the Bill Paterson Nature Center a great spot for relaxed walks, longer hikes, or a day’s exploration with your pet in the heart of Nassau County.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Are there walking or hiking trails connected to the park? Yes, the nature center is the main entry point to the Muttontown Preserve’s extensive network of hiking trails.
- Is there parking available? Yes, there is a decent capacity free parking lot for visitors near the nature center.
- Are restrooms available for owners? Yes, restrooms are available at the nature center when it is open, though they are noted to be somewhat dated.
- Is there shade or shelter available? The trails offer shade in forested sections, and the preserve’s nature center provides a basic level of shelter.
- Are dogs allowed on the trails? Yes, dogs are allowed on leash throughout the nature preserve’s trail system.
Reviews
Although it is a very nice nature preserve that allows horse trails and plenty of walking trails, the trails are not well marked or maintained. Even with the printed maps from the visitor center it is still easy to lose track of your location and find corresponding trail markers. (A great Eagle Scout project would be to fix up the trail markers.) If you go, leave yourself plenty of time to navigate the trails. No matter what you will find plenty of wildlife (or signs of wildlife all around).
There’s just a bunch of trails, not much to see if its not fall foliage season. If you’re a hiker, this place is for you.
This is the entrance to a very beautiful Preserve, it has free parking, expect to spend a good part of your day if your planning to hunt for the ruins because they are well hidden and near the back end of the Preserve, have fun. If you know your lost, listen for highway traffic on 106, new hikers tend to get spun around in this Preserve.
This is muttontown preserve another entry….Some of the trails are well maintained, but the trails’ have a lot of fork roads; you need a map. You may get the map behind the house. After you finish, you can drive the car to the Chelsea Mason to walk around, or you can use the trails to walk to the Mason.
Nature center with its 2 trailheads is a gateway to preserve’s trails. Decent capacity parking lot to accommodate hikers. Nature center and its restroom amenities are visibly dated but they are there and much appreciated when center is open. You could cover major trails in 2-3 hours going through meadows and forested areas. King Zog’s ruins are accessible via one of the marked trails. I have made a loop starting on east side trails next to 106 route passing few nice meadows, then turning on trail close to Muttontown Rd and then to ruins trail and finally returning via west side trails skirting Chelsey Mansion area.