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Eastern: Schunemunk Preserve

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

Why You Should Visit
From Schunemunk's rocky summits, spot migrating raptors and take in spectacular views toward the Hudson River, or spend some moments of quiet reflection in the lowlands among extensive oak-chestnut forests. This preserve is located in the northwest edge of the six-mile Schunemunk Ridge, which rises from 600 feet to nearly 1,700 feet.

Location
Cornwall, Orange County, New York

Size
163 acres

Directions
I-87 to exit 16; west on Rt. 17 (Southern Tier Expressway) to exit 130 (State Highway 208). North on Highway 208; north on County Rt. 27 (Clove Road) to the Hil Mar Lodge on right side (east) of road. Parking available here; follow green blazes to yellow boundary signs.

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

What to Expect
Please bring water and adequate hiking shoes, and be on the lookout for timber rattlesnakes, a poisonous and state-threatened species.

Trails
Numerous trails with various access points take visitors through the preserve and its surrounding areas. The 214-mile Long Path, a nationally known trail that runs from the George Washington Bridge to the Catskills and is maintained by the NY-NJ Trail Conference, bisects the preserve. Contact NY-NJ Trail Conference for maps of entire area.

What to See: Plants
Mature oak-dominated forests occur at lower elevations, including an extensive occurrence of the chestnut-oak forest community. Farther up the mountain, thicket-forming scrub oak supplant chestnut oaks. At the highest elevations, outcrops of conglomerate rocks occur, interspersed with the pitch pine-oak-heath rocky summit community.

What to See: Animals
The proliferation of oak trees on Schunemunk Mountain provides nourishment for a diversity of wildlife, including three species of shrews, two species of moles, five species of mice, two species of weasels, three species of squirrels, three species of voles, white-tailed deer, two species of foxes, coyotes, and black bears.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Mrs. Mabel Ingalls donated this land to The Nature Conservancy in 1991.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
Several sizeable tracts of independently protected land lie adjacent to Schunemunk Mountain Preserve. In the years ahead, The Nature Conservancy will likely transfer the preserve to New York State for inclusion in a proposed state park that will combine these various managed sites into one large conservation area.