| According to their brochure, Long Island Railroad did not offer specific train/tour packages to the sunken forest at Sailor's Haven in Fire Island National Seashore this year. However, they did offer day trips that sound wonderful to other places. You might want to check them out for similar tours next year: http://mta.info/lirr/getaways/LongIsland2004/ You don't need an organized tour to visit the sunken forest. Take the LIRR to Sayville, and hop on a Colonial or Village transport van for $3.00 that will get you to Sayville Ferry in about four minutes. The vans and/or cabs wait at the train station to meet every train. The Sayville ferries go to either Cherry Grove, the Pines or Sailor's Haven: http://www.sayvilleferry.com/sf.shtml You want to go to Sailor's Haven, and here is the website for it: http://www.nps.gov/fiis/WestDist/shhp.html Although the boardwalks and trails of the sunken forest are open year-round, the Sailor's Haven visitor's center, snack bar and ranger tours are closed until next spring. From late spring to late summer, there are weekly free tours and other activities, some focused on kids. They have had to cut down on their programs and staff in recent years, due to funding cuts (sadly, this trend won't likely be changed for the next four years). It is possible to take a ferry year-round from Sayville to Cherry Grove ($12.00 round trip). The sunken forest area is about a mile and a half walk west from Cherry Grove dock, along the ocean-side beach. One severe limitation of a winter trip is that the last returning ferry is at 3:40 PM which does not leave too much time for a nice visit. Still, there is great beauty here in winter. There are no hotels or motels open in Cherry Grove in winter, so you are pretty much stuck with doing a day trip. You could take a water taxi from Sayville or Bay Shore directly to Sailor's Haven and come and go when you please, but this is quite expensive. The sunken forest is a remarkable and unique place. The boardwalk trails go through an old holly forest (which appears to be sunken because it is at the bottom of wooded dunes, but it is not below sea level) as well as marshland and dunes. It does seem that most people who go to Sailor's Haven in the summer come to go to the great beach, which has a lifeguard. There are also changing rooms and a bathroom. | 
