mcallister park

McAllister County Park is located near Port Jefferson, NY adjacent to the village of Belle Terre. It wasn't an easy park to find as the village entrance on Cliff Drive looks like a private gated road; it's not a security gate, just an odd decoration. And it's an odd-feeling place overall because the entire village is posted with hundreds of No Parking signs, and the park (public park, property of Suffolk County) even features several "Residents Only" signs. (Very unfriendly, and I'll keep that in mind the next time I see New York plated cars in our New Mexico parks.)There are four parking spaces located near the water front on Anchorage Road. Visitors are limited to these four spaces and any other access is by boat only.The entire park is only 113 acres, but by walking a loop around the property following the cobble shore line, it's possible to clock over 3 miles of hiking.My experience, after locating and entering the park, was very favorable. With 8 million people all living on a single island, who would imagine finding ocean-front solitude at a public park on a weekend? Unbelievably, although there were a few cars drive in and out, there was no one else in the park the entire length of my visit, about three hours. The wind was howling, the water was rough, and it was chilly, which probably explains the lack of other visitors.I hiked along the inlet, following the base of the erosion cliff, over the cobble dune, and down to the Long Island Sound waterfront. Followed the shore line to the harbor entrance, watched the ferry pass, and continued along the harbor shorline back to the parking area. My mapping software shows this route being just over three miles.The primary feature of the park is Misery Point, a cobble and sand hill. There are remnants of a historic ship loadout. Seems like a nice place for birdwatching and fishing as well.