Long Island: Uplands Farm Sanctuary

 

Black-crowned night heron

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From the Central Pine Barrens to the waters of the Great South Bay, with your help we can keep Long Island protected for nature and for people.

Uplands Farm Sanctuary Fast Facts

Location: Cold Spring Harbor.  Find out how to visit!
Size: 97 acres
Trails: 2.41 miles

Get Involved!

If you live locally and are interested in becoming a preserve monitor or steward, please email Derek Rogers, at drogers@tnc.org.

Did You Know?

On the Farm: The gravelly, acidic soils of Uplands Farm are difficult to fertilize, so over the years raising livestock seems to have been preferable to cultivation. In colonial times, the land was most likely used for sheep ranching for wool. In 1920, the Nichols family began raising cattle and ultimately ran a dairy at Uplands Farm until 1962.

Dedication: Mrs. George Nichols, a long-time resident and owner of Uplands Farm, donated three parcels of the preserve to the Conservancy. Upon her death in 1981, additional parcels were acquired. The sanctuary is dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Nichols.

Contact Us

The Nature Conservancy on Long Island
250 Lawrence Hill Rd
Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724
(631) 367-3384

Butterfly weed
Butterfly weed favors dry sand or gravel soil and full sun.  The common name comes from the butterflies that are attracted to the plant by its color and its copious production of nectar.

Uplands Farm Sanctuary

True to its name, Uplands Farm Sanctuary retains the appearance of an old dairy farm, complete with a silo and open fields that were once cattle pastures. Today, the old farm buildings serve as an office for The Nature Conservancy's Long Island Chapter.

A double-loop trail meanders from bird and butterfly meadows, through deciduous forests, into a white pine-shaded ravine.

What to See

In the eastern woodland, you’ll see red maple, black cherry and red cedar mixed with oak, ash and hickory trees. In the hilly terrain of the western woodland, flowering dogwood and extensive thickets of mountain laurel bloom below a canopy of oaks, tulip trees and black birch.

Wood frogs, spotted salamanders and turtles are among the wildlife you can observe in the seasonally wet areas called vernal pools.

The sanctuary's meadows and hedgerows provide habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals, including butterfly weed and goldenrods, 40 butterfly species and grassland birds such as bobolinks and meadowlarks, which have become rare as their habitat has disappeared.

Bluebirds, the New York state bird, return in late winter and early spring. They build their nests in bird boxes or tree cavities along forest edges.

Monarch butterflies return to the region in late summer. Both the caterpillars and adult butterflies rely on the butterfly weed and other milkweed species that bloom in the open fields.

What to Do

The marked, mostly level trail makes this a good place for family-friendly hikes. If you’re interested in longer hikes, the Uplands trail connects to the 20-mile Nassau-Suffolk Trail, part of the Long Island Greenbelt.

Planning Your Visit

The trails are open for hiking and observing nature from dawn to dusk. Restrooms in the offices are open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.

Please prepare for your visit by reading our guidelines and downloading a trail map (.pdf).

Directions

  • From the Long Island Expressway, take Exit 45 (Woodbury-Manetto Hill exit) and bear right at the end of the exit ramp onto Manetto Hill Road.
  • Go 0.2 mile and turn right onto Woodbury Road.
  • Proceed 3.4 miles and turn left onto Harbor Road (Route 108).
  • Go 1.6 miles and turn right uphill onto Lawrence Hill Road.
  • Proceed 0.4 miles and turn right into the Uplands Farm entrance.
  • Proceed to the end of the split rail fence and turn left just before the barn.
  • Park in the parking area or beside it in the grassy field.
  • The trailhead and visitor kiosk are in the trees 75 feet beyond the parking area.

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Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © TNC (Uplands Farm); Photo © Derek Rogers/TNC (Black-crowned night heron), Photo © OakleyOriginals/Creative Commons (butterfly weed).