The Walt Whitman Trail, in the eastern section of the park, leads hikers up to Jayne’s Hill, the highest natural point on Long Island (400.9 feet), which was named after the prominent pioneer family. A stone marker identifies the hill. Much of the western section was once “Highhold,” the estate of Henry Stimson. Stimson served in five presidential administrations between 1911 and 1945, including serving as Secretary of War during World War II. It was on this property that Stimson famously hosted the “Highhold Games,” which included grand fox hunts, and Teddy Roosevelt would hike all the way from Sagamore Hill for visits with the Stimsons. After Mrs. Stimson died, the property was sold to the New York City Boy Scouts, which used it as a camp for many years. Scouts and other groups continue to camp in West Hills Park today.
Directions to the cache: Take Round Swamp Rd and turn East onto Highhold Dr. There is the parking lot on the North side of Highhold Drive for the West Hills Nature Preserve. Cross the street, walk past the dog run and find trails to the South and look for a Boy Scouts amphitheater with a campfire pit. An alternate route is to take Mount Misery Rd South to the dead-end, park and walk Northwest to the cache. Cache is a camo bison tube placed in a special holder and has a pencil only. If it’s a nice day, you may encounter numerous dog-walking muggles. If scouts are having an event, you may want to come back another time.