Eastern: Long Pond Preserve

Clickable map.  Click here for a larger version of this map.

Why You Should Visit
Long Pond's peaceful meadow blazes with the color of wildflowers in bloom and butterflies in flight. Farther upland, a forest of red maple, tulip and ash displays vivid orange and red foliage in the fall, while the stream, field, marsh and lake contribute their own hues of blue to complete nature's palette at this lovely preserve.

Location
The western border of Lake Waccabuc in Lewisboro, Westchester County, New York

Size
39 acres

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Please see our Visitation Guidelines.

Directions

• From I-684, take Exit 6.
• Head east on Route 35 for 5.6 miles to Mead Street.
• Turn left, go 1.3 miles to Chapel Road. 
• Park in front of the gate directly across from the chapel.

Trails
There is one -mile-long, permanent trail on the preserve that can be accessed at an entry point through the gate across from the chapel. Several easy, marked seasonal trails are also cut in the field every year.

What to See: Plants
Heading upland toward the forest, look for signature trees of the mixed deciduous forest such as red maple, tulip and ash. In warmer seasons, look for blooming Indian hemp, periwinkle, wild sarsparilla, pale-spike lobelia and marsh blue violet.

What to See: Animals
Long Pond has been called one of the finest spots in Westchester to observe a great variety of butterfly species, including red spotted purples, Eastern tailed blues, white admirals and silver spotted skippers. They are especially abundant in mid-summer at the peak of butterfly season.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
The Studwell Foundation (representing the Mead family, which owned the property from 1650 to 1970) and a group of local residents donated this preserve to The Nature Conservancy in 1970.