It took five decades, countless town meetings, a dogged legislator with a bone, and even a global pandemic, but Long Island finally has its own “High Line” — the North Shore Rail Trail. Unlike Manhattan’s elevated version, ours runs flat and leafy along Route 25A, but it’s still a glow-up for an abandoned railroad bed where Nikola Tesla once rode the rails.
The 10.4-mile multi-use path now links Crystal Brook Hollow Road in Mount Sinai (just outside Port Jefferson Station) to Wading River Manor Road in Wading River, giving Long Islanders a safe place to bike, jog, stroll, or let the kids loose without dodging Buicks on the shoulder of 25A.
Here are some crazy facts about how a forgotten train line became Suffolk County’s newest recreational hot spot:
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Fifty Years in the Making
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First proposed in the 1970s, the trail idea lingered for decades before finally breaking ground in 2019.
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Pandemic delays, supply chain snags, and bad weather pushed completion to June 2022. After half a century, what’s a few more years?
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The Ghost of Railroads Past
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The trail sits on the former Long Island Rail Road’s Wading River Branch, abandoned back in 1939.
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For decades it was just a weed-choked corridor owned by LIPA, which now lets the public use the right-of-way for free.
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It’s officially considered Long Island’s first true rail-trail.
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Tesla’s Train Ride
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Before it went dormant, this very rail line once carried Nikola Tesla out to his Long Island laboratory. Today, it carries Lycra-clad cyclists and stroller-pushing parents.
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Paying the Tab
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The project cost roughly $8–9 million, funded mostly by a federal grant, with Suffolk County kicking in about $500,000.
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Persistence Pays Off
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Suffolk Legislator Sarah Anker made the trail one of her top priorities when she took office in 2011.
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She created the “Rails to Trails Roundtable” in 2016 to unite civic groups, keeping the project on track (pun intended).
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At the ribbon-cutting in 2022, she declared: “I’m a dog with a bone, and that bone wasn’t going to go anywhere.”
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North Shore Rail Trail Specs for the Nerds
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Total length: 10.4 miles.
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Surfaced with asphalt and marked every quarter mile.
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Trailheads feature information kiosks.
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It’s wide, easy to follow, and family-friendly.
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Popular with bikers, hikers, dog walkers, and even inline skaters.
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Average one-way trip time: about 3 hours, 13 minutes if you walk it end-to-end.
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Safety First
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Suffolk roads are notoriously dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians.
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Bike inn owner Marty Buchman, who showed up at the ribbon-cutting on crutches after his second near-fatal accident with a car, made the point clear: “Bike trails are essential.”
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More Than Just Exercise
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The North Shore Rail Trail connects directly to schools, residential neighborhoods, athletic fields, and local businesses.
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It’s not just recreation — it’s transportation, tourism, and even a little economic development rolled into one.
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A Green Future
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The trail is part of Suffolk’s Countywide Hike and Bike Master Plan, which maps out over 1,200 miles of bike facilities. The goal? Put 84 percent of residents within a half-mile of a bike route or trail.
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The North Shore Rail Trail also supports healthier lifestyles, eases traffic, and improves air quality.
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From Local Path to Statewide Dreams
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Advocates hope to link the trail to the North Fork.
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Longer term, it could become part of a planned 175-mile extension of the Empire State Trail, running all the way from Battery Park to Montauk.
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As Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone put it: “Any time a project is on the drawing boards for 50 years and you’re actually at the ribbon-cutting, that’s a great day.”
The North Shore Rail Trail proves that even a forgotten, weed-covered railroad can be reborn into one of Long Island’s best new places to walk, ride, or just soak in the scenery.
