The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

A white-throated sparrow at Silver Lake in New York's Adirondack State Park. © Larry Masters

Open to the Public

Yes

Things To Do

Plants and Animals View All

Plan Your Visit

Location View All

Get Directions

With a 200-foot bluff overlooking Silver Lake, the Silver Lake Bog Preserve provides spectacular views. It also contains a wide variety of habitats, including a black spruce- tamarack bog, northern white cedar swamp, a hemlock northern hardwood forest, and a pine ridge.

Why We Work Here

This site gives the Conservancy an opportunity to learn about and protect diverse natural communities within a small area. The different vegetation types that grow on the preserve provide a variety of habitats for many bird, mammal, and amphibian species.

What We Do

The Conservancy maintains this preserve for educational and scientific purposes.

As you walk along the half-mile boardwalk or up the trail to the bluffs, you will observe distinct changes in the vegetation as the elevation and the soil moisture increase or decrease. A preserve guide is available from the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, the Adirondack Land Trust, and at the trail register.

Things To Do

Animals:

• spring peeper
• wood frog
• Northern leopard frog
• American toad
• porcupine
• white-tail deer
• snowshoe hare
• fisher
• olive-sided flycatcher
• white-throated sparrow

Plants:

• Labrador tea
• creeping snowberry
• pitcher plant
• bunchberry
• sheep laurel
• balsam fir
• black spruce
• white cedar
• cinnamon fern

Plan Your Visit

This 98-acre preserve is located in the Town of Hawkeye, near Union Falls and Silver Lake in Clinton County, NY.

Directions

From the north:

• Take I-87 exit 34 onto Route 9 to Ausable Forks.
• From the blinking light in Ausable Forks, turn right onto Main Street.
• At the stop sign, turn left onto the Silver Lake Road toward Hawkeye.
• Pass the state campground at Taylor Pond and go through Hawkeye to the junction with the Union Falls Road.
• Turn left and travel about 1.5 miles to the Old Hawkeye Road (dirt) on the left.
• The preserve is about .2 miles down the Old Hawkeye Road on the right.

From the south:

• Take I-87 exit 30 onto Route 73 to Lake Placid.
• At the traffic light turn right onto Route 86 to Wilmington.
• At the four-way stop stay straight. This puts you on the Bonneview Road.
• Follow it to the end and make a left onto the Silver Lake Road toward Hawkeye.
• Pass the state campground at Taylor Pond and go through Hawkeye to the junction with the Union Falls Road.
• Turn left and travel about 1.5 miles to the Old Hawkeye Road (dirt) on the left.
• The preserve is about .2 miles down the Old Hawkeye Road on the right.

Discussion

Have you been to this preserve? Are you thinking of visiting? See what others are saying about their experiences and add your comments below.

Add Your Comments

Time for you to join the discussion. Tell us about your experience at this preserve. What plants and animals did you see? When did you go? You can help others plan their visit when you share your thoughts. And thank you for visiting one of our nature preserves!

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