Walking Dunes EarthCache
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Permit No: 11-0031
To get to the dunes, head east on Montauk Highway and turn left at Napeague Harbor Road. Continue over the railroad tracks approximately one mile to the end of the paved road. Park your car along the side of the road and enter trail on foot following the clearly marked path to your right.
Continue on this path and you will reach the dunes. The trail is about 2 miles from the campground at Hither Hills State Park, and must be reached by car. They are located on the eastern boundary of the park, which also has woodlands filled with Russian olive, oak, shad and pine trees.
Hither Hills State Park, on the east side of Napeague Harbor, is a beautiful park located on the far northeastern shores of Long Island. The unusual "walking dune" feature sights of blowing sand which covers the pitch pine and scrub oak. Due to the strong, prevailing winter northwest winds, these dunes are always changing shape, breaking down, rebuilding, and "walking" 3 or more feet per year in a southeast direction.
Walking Sand Dunes… No you don't walk on them. THEY do the walking. These environmentally sensitive walking dunes are 80-100-foot high U-shaped dunes which are slowly moving southeast. YOU will remain on the self-guided walking trail at all times.
Walking Dunes Trail
Difficulty: Geocaching terrain level 3
Elevation: Sea Level
Elevation Gain: 80-100 Feet
Length, Round Trip: 1.0 Mile
Points of Interest: Native Dunes, Bird watching, buried forests, seashells, a native cranberry bog, wild plums.
The self-guided Walking Dunes Trail is an easy and enjoyable path along a corridor of sand under a canopy of oaks, beach plum, pitch pine and a lovely maritime habitat. At times, the undergrowth is a profusion of wandering poison ivy. Shifting sands are explained through ten (10) interpretive signs. Note: the sand dunes are for visible enjoyment only; REMAIN ON THE CLEARLY MARKED TRAIL AT ALL TIMES.
Understanding the term "walking dunes" is apparent as the sand attempts to bury the hardwoods. The sand dunes roll northwest offering you an opportunity to travel upward for panoramic views of Napeague Harbor, Napeague Bay, Goff Point and beyond. As your journey comes to a close, you'll be treated to views of an aged cranberry bog. Head left to return to your car, and look for the wide sand path which ascends, then descends slightly carrying you to the end of the loop trail. Head right towards the harbor for further exploration.
Pick up the descriptive brochure (much of the information on this cache page is cited from the brochure, The "Walking" Dunes; Hither Hills State Park), which includes trail maps, at the start of the Walking Dunes trail, the park office or the chamber of commerce before you set out.
Open: Daily dawn-dusk
Detailed scientific/geologic information about this site can be accessed at the following website created by Dan Davis and Mitchell Cangelosi, Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University:
www.geo.sunysb.edu/lig/Field_Trips/HitherHillsFieldGuide.pdf
SPECIAL CONDITIONS: EARTHCACHERS MUST STAY ON THE AUTHORIZED WALKING DUNES TRAIL AT ALL TIMES. NO ITEMS WILL BE BURIED OR LEFT IN THE PARK.
To gain credit for this earthcache, send an email message to the CO with the responses to questions #1 – 3. (photos are most welcome on the earthcache page, as long as they don’t give away the answers to the questions!)
1. When you arrive at trail marker #5, stop and look at the environment to your left. Without moving your feet, turn and look at the environment to your right. These dunes “walk” an average of 3 feet per year. Estimate the distance between the two locations you choose and your position in the middle . Estimate how many years it will take for the top of the dune on your left to cover the position in which you are standing.
2. When you arrive at trail marker #7, you will be standing in a “wind tunnel.” Why is the wind so strong at this particular place?
3. What is the title of the sign/name of the forest located at trail marker #8 and what types of vegetation are mentioned on this particular sign? What geological event was the reason why this forest was given this name?
Bonus: What geometric term is often used to describe the unnatural, U-shape of these dunes?
Edited 11.6.15. Thank you to Indiana Jones 71 for providing this additional information:
A barchan (pronounced bar-KAN) dune, sometimes known as a crescentic dune, is a crescent or U-shaped dune that has its "horns" or tips pointing downwind or away from the wind. Barchans arise where sand supply is limited, where the ground is hard, and where wind direction is fairly constant. They form around shrubs or larger rocks, which act as anchors to hold the main part of the dune in place while the tips migrate with the wind. Barchan dunes occur widely in deserts around Earth.
A parabolic dune is similar in shape to a barchan, but its tips point into the wind. Its formation is also influenced by the presence of some type of obstruction, such as a plant or a rock. Just the opposite of a barchan, a parabolic is anchored at its tips by the obstruction, which acts to block the wind, while its main body migrates with the wind, forming a depression between the tips. Because of this formation, parabolic dunes are also known as blowout dunes.
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