In Muttontown Preserve, wandering (a little less) off the beaten path

A few years ago it would have been easier to get lost in the 550 acres of the Muttontown Preserve — where this time of year wind blowing through bare tree branches seems to roar like winter waves.

The pandemic began to draw more nature seekers to the idyllic canopy, and officials said that with those greater numbers came more complaints about hikers wandering off course in the woods of the county's largest preserve.

In 2021, the Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation District began addressing the problem by starting to install trail markers in the preserve while also widening trails and removing obstructions and invasive species.

This year, two more marked trails are slated to open — adding up to four newly marked trails in all — as an overall effort to make the woodlands more accessible to the public.

"There was a general consensus that it was an underutilized resource, the Muttontown Preserve, mostly because people weren't aware of it and also because the trails weren't marked," Derek Betts, district manager of the conservation district, told Newsday.

The first markers that officials installed direct visitors to the remains of a mansion known as the Zog Estate that today is a canvas for graffiti artists. The estate — which Zog I, Albania's last monarch, once owned — was demolished in the 1950s, according to Nassau County parks officials.

"The King Zog ruins are obviously a big draw for people and they were having trouble finding it," said Betts.

The conservation district applied for a state grant in 2021 to fund preserve upgrades and began the improvements with the help of additional funds from the Muttontown Horseman's Association.

Stakeholders told Newsday they hope that by making the area more user-friendly, it will become an even bigger draw, which in turn will help foster a sense of stewardship. 

“It really helps to get the public out in nature and appreciate it,” said Eric Swenson, a district board member.

He said getting people on the trails also helps garner support for conservation efforts.

“The easier you make it for people to enjoy themselves out there and not get lost, the more … people probably come out, they'll recommend it to their friends," Swenson added.

The 2½-mile King Zog’s Loop runs through woodland and open grass, according to the district officials. They said the trail was completed in 2021, with 65 numbered wood posts installed. It's a short hike from Muttontown Road to the crumbling estate remains, where a marker points hikers toward the loop trail.

Vandals painted swastikas on the Zog estate ruins 2021, but they've since been painted over, said Joanna Sasso, president of the Horseman's Association. She described the area as a "beautiful" and "serene" place that attracts deer.

In 2022, conservation officials marked another loop trail in the preserve, with 35 posts erected in its southern portion. The two additional trail loops that are planned for 2023 will have a total of 40 posts, according to Betts.

Giving future generations access to the ruins is a worthwhile endeavor, said Alexandra Parsons Wolfe, executive director of Preservation Long Island, a nonprofit that works to preserve cultural history.

Walking around that part of the preserve, she said, makes one feel "like an archaeologist."