CHEAP THRILLS AT WEST HILLS! Long Island's autumn foliage looked great last weekend. Did October's record rainfall have something to do with the Big Color? Whatever the cause, I've enjoyed observing the splendor at West Hills County Park, which is sequestered off Round Swamp Road near Jericho Turnpike.

Walt Whitman, who was born in the vicinity, wrote of West Hills as "a romantic and beautiful spot; it is the most hilly and elevated part of Long Island." Later much of the area became the estate of Henry Stimson, who served on the cabinets of Presidents Taft, Hoover, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Today the land is home to bridle paths, camping facilities, a dog run, and lovely trails and nature walks.



When you drive into the park, a sign clearly marks where you can park and where you can find the dog run.




















Below is a sign I found disorienting. It's for a sport called Orienteering.




















The sizable dog run is sometimes empty or near-empty, but last weekend it was active. I wanted to take a great picture of a group of frolicking dogs, but the dogs and my cameraphone were equally uncooperative.




















Near the dog run, down a gentle slope, are some trail heads that eventually open onto a large lawn where Stimson hosted competitive events. The lawn offers a good vantage point for foliage-viewing, even for people with very uneven legs.




















Bordering the lawn are campsites. On one recent visit, some guys had a fire going outside one shelter. I considered asking them if I could take their pictures, but I decided to mind my own business. Most of the shelters were empty anyway, so these photos are more representative of what I saw when I was there. Still, I kind of regret not taking a picture of that campfire. I'm not sure if I'll ever get over that.




















Beautiful trails extend through the woods.




















One wooded trail includes a detour to an obstacle course!




















And here's a tree with an unusual bent.




















On the opposite (northern end) of the parking lot is another trail head, for the Red Dot Trail.




















On the Red Dot Trail, I saw serpentine vines.




















There was some mud here, but it didn't bog me down.




















In some spots, even the fallen foliage was glorious. Andy Goldsworthy, meet Marcel Duchamp!



Photos: David Marc Fischer