Smithtown Bay is between the entrances to Huntington Harbor on the west and Port Jefferson Harbor on the east. The westernmost part of the bay is the Nissequoque River, and the easternmost part is the entrance to Stony Brook Harbor.

Fronting the bay is Governor Alfred E. Smith Sunken Meadow State Park, home to Sunken Meadow Beach. This wide bay is a good spot to tube or water ski. However, don’t count on dropping anchor and floating serenely at all times — if the Long Island Sound is rough, the bay will be, too.

It’s wise to stay a safe distance offshore to avoid contact with swimmers venturing out from the beach, and beaching a boat at Sunken Meadow is prohibited.The Nissequogue River is located on the western side of Smithtown Bay. At over eight miles long, part of this freshwater river flows through Nissequogue River State Park, a designated State Bird Conservation area. The park is home to waterfowl, herons, and egrets, and is along the migration route for songbirds. Amphibians and reptiles reside in the park’s tidal and freshwater wetlands and hardwood forests. There’s also a greenbelt trail, marina, and canoe and kayak launch.

This is a calm river to drop anchor and visit a nearby beach, or to travel along and explore in smaller vessels — Nissequogue becomes too shallow for larger boats to navigate the further south you head up the river. Inflatables, canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and dinghies can traverse all the way to the south side of Jericho Turnpike in Smithtown (but paddleboarders can’t stand up while passing under the road). Along with the state park facility, there are launch areas near the mouth of the Long Island Sound in Kings Park and on the southern side of Jericho Turnpike in Smithtown.

Timing your Nissequogue River trip is crucial, as a rising tide gives you an advantage while traveling south in the river. However, the return trip will be more difficult, so unless you are exploring in an inflatable with a small engine, we’d recommend staying close by.

Bites

Smithtown Bay has no amenities or facilities, but there is a restaurant along the Nissequoge just south of the ramp in Kings Park. There is no docking, but you can anchor outside of the channel and reach the restaurant via your inflatable.

More information

https://parks.ny.gov/parks/110/ and https://www.parks.ny.gov/parks/37/details.aspx