Taking a wintertime stroll at the Town of Hempstead's Norman J. Levy Park & Preserve

Town of Hempstead residents will tell you that there’s no place like the Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve.

Hidden behind the Town of Hempstead’s sanitation facilities off of Merrick Road, the preserve is the epitome of a bustling nature preserve. Beautiful year round, the park offers a natural escape during the cold, winter months.

Its 155-foot summit is the highest on Long Island’s South Shore, and offers hikers, runners and walkers panoramic views of Long Island’s beaches, the Meadowbrook Parkway, and New York City skyline. 

The park, which was once a landfill, offers residents 3-miles worth of trails, a kayak launch, fishing piers and more. Named after a longtime environmental advocate State Sen. Normal J. Levy, the park has been open and maintained by the Town of Hempstead since 2000, and is a sanctuary for native plants and wildlife, all of which can been seen swarming the park on a daily basis.

A self sustaining natural fortress, the park’s most unique residents are a herd of Nigerian dwarf goats. Kept in a pen at the park’s entrance during the day, the goats are released at night and the town uses them an environmentally friendly way to control weeds and brush overgrowth. According to Hempstead Town’s website, the goats are the park’s “pets-workers-employees” that compliment the mission of the nature preserve.

The park is open in January and February, daily and weather-permitting, from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more, visit HempsteadNY.gov/facilities.