Make a Difference   Join The Nature Conservancy today, and help the Eastern New York Chapter keep our lands and waters safe for future generations. Resources Make Plans  It's time to make a trip.  Get all your travel details here! You're Invited  Take a look at our events calendar and find something that suits your tastes. Get Out on the Land  With seven different trails, ranging from pine barrens to ice caves, there's sure to be something you'll enjoy. Call of the Wild  Sam's Point is home to many rare or endangered creatures. Find out more about them! Come Together Without our partners, Sam's Point just wouldn't be the same. Check out how, together, we make things happen. Blue Gold Sam's Point was once home to a thriving community of huckleberry pickers.  Find out more about this vanished culture and watch a short film about the community. Virtual Visit Curious about Sam's Point? Stuck at home for now? Take a virtual visit from your home computer by visiting our slideshow and find out what Sam's Point has to offer!

Important Updates:

Deer hunting is conducted by permit only during the New York hunting season. For more information, please click here.

Perched atop the highest point of the Shawangunk Ridge, south of Mohonk and Minnewaska State Park Preserves, lies Sam’s Point Preserve — 5,400 acres sheltering one of the best examples of ridgetop dwarf pine barrens in the world.

Home to nearly 40 rare plant and animal species and three rare natural communities, the northern Shawangunks represent one of the highest priorities for conservation in the Northeastern United States.

In 1996, after nearly 25 years of negotiations, the Open Space Institute secured protection of the Sam's Point area with the assistance of a large number of partners, including the Lila Acheson and Dewitt Wallace Fund for the Hudson Highlands and The Nature Conservancy. 

Today, the preserve is owned by the Open Space Insititute and managed by the Conservancy's Eastern New York Chapter.

A New Direction

In 2005, the preserve celebrated the opening of the Sam’s Point Conservation Center. The 3,000 square foot building, which meets the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council, complements and reflects the dramatic setting of Sam’s Point and the surrounding Shawangunk Ridge.  The center was designed by Bialecki Architects.

The Center welcomes school groups, volunteers, hikers and others who visit the preserve and provides a base for the chapter’s stewardship, science, and outreach activities. In addition, the interactive exhibits installed at the Center provide visitors with an enhanced understanding of this rare and fragile "Last Great Place."

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © The Nature Conservancy (Shawangunks); Photo ©
Ronald Laubenstein (red fox); Map © The Nature Conservancy; Photo © The Nature Conservancy (Lake Maratanzar); Photo © The Nature Conservancy (Shawangunks); Sketch © Matthew Bialecki, AIA (Conservation Center).