Nature lovers feel right at home on Long Island, where wildlife and vegetation come together in many preserves and nature trails. New York State runs 19 nature centers on Long Island, ranging from the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium in Cold Spring Harbor to the 300-acre Quogue Wildlife Refuge & Nature Center on the South Fork.

Many of these nature centers also feature trails, including the Quogue Wildlife Refuge Trails, Uplands Farm Nature Sanctuary and the Sands Point Preserve in Port Washington. The Long Island Sierra Club and the Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference host guided hikes through many of Long Island's trails and parks. The Nassau-Suffolk Trail runs 20 miles south from Cold Spring Harbor to the Massapequa Preserve. The Long Island Greenbelt Trail is a 32-mile stretch from Kings Park to East Islip. It takes walkers, joggers and mountain bikers past beaches, dunes and rivers. The Pine Barrens Trail begins in Rocky Point and continues on for 47 miles to Hampton Bays.

The Paumanok Path may well become Long Island's most famous trail. The Long Island Chapter of the Sierra Club says that the path "is destined to become Long Island's Appalachian Trail." With some segments still under construction, it features several trails linked into one. Eventually, the Paumanok Path will stretch some 100 miles, from Rocky Point to Montauk Point.