The Overton Preserve is a pocket of rolling forest tightly laced with about 14 miles of fun, looping singletrack trails. Because it’s located right in the middle of Long Island—just south of Coram—it’s pretty easy to get to from everywhere. The only quirk? Because the property was used as a paintball venue before it was turned into a nature preserve, you’ll find plenty of remnants from the land’s past life. Think: defensive structures, an old car, and even a rusty faux-artillery gun. Still, for variety, concentrated trail mileage, and proximity to neighboring trails, the mountain biking at Overton is pretty hard to beat. Here’s what you need to know ahead of your first visit.
Recommended Rides
This park packs tons of route options within its few hundred acres. One good option for intermediate riders: Connect the Overton Main Loop with the four northernmost loops for a fun, 6-mile ride.
Want to go bigger? According to Mike Vitti, the president of local nonprofit Concerned Long Island Mountain Bikers, the coolest thing about Overton is that it connects to Glacier Ridge, a similarly sized park just across state Route 112.
“Together, it’s over 25 miles of trails and it’s pretty much like a rollercoaster—swoopy, fast singletrack,” he says. More advanced riders can connect the two by riding Loop 1, then taking the Glacier Ridge Connector east to the Dark Side of the Moon Extension. Hit this one, then Dark Side of the Moon proper, before retracing your route back to your car. The whole thing’s a little over 4 miles.
You can also go east via the Triple Crown Connector, which links Overton Preserve to more than 12 miles of singletrack trails at nearby Cathedral Pines County Park, Vitti says. (Cathedral Pines is also the site of CLIMB’s annual Fat Tire Fest.)
