Eastern: Pawling Nature Reserve

Why You Should Visit
Explore a microcosm of diverse natural communities at each level of 1,053-foot-tall Hammersly Ridge. In the reserve’s gorge, Duell Hollow Brook cascades down the rocks and The Appalachian Trail winds through stands of red pines, eastern hemlocks, and mixed hardwoods. Farther up the ridge, a hillside of beech trees slopes down into a yellow birch forest. And at the ridgetop, chestnut oaks, lichens and mosses grace the rocky soil and compliment stunning views of Great Swamp and Harlem Valley below.

Location
Pawling in Dutchess County, New York

Size
1,060 acres

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Please see our Visitation Guidelines. If hiking, please wear sturdy shoes and bring a map, water, a snack and rain gear.

Directions
From the northern terminus of I-684, follow Route 22 north past Route 55; turn right onto Dutchess Route 68 (North Quaker Hill Road). Stay to the right on Route 68, then turn left onto Quaker Lake Road. The parking area is 1.2 miles on left. The reserve can also be accessed from the Appalachian Trail stop on Metro-North.

What to Expect
Please note: Deer hunting is conducted by special arrangement at this reserve during the NY State hunting season.

Trails
Hikers of all levels will enjoy the steep terrain, which includes more than ten miles of marked trails that range from moderate one-hour strolls to strenuous day-long treks.

What to See: Plants
Second-growth oak woodlands dominate, accompanied by swamps, red maple forests, fields and hemlock forests. Along the gorge sides you will see unusual plants such as walking fern, maidenhair spleenwort and hobblebush. Other rare plant species include devil’s bit, soapwort gentian, yellow wild flax, scarlet Indian-paintbrush and Bicknell’s sedge.

What to See: Animals
Twelve species of amphibians, including six species of salamanders and five species of frogs breed here. At least 77 bird species use the area for nesting or foraging, including hermit thrushes, black-throated green warblers, winter wrens, blue-gray gnatcatchers and acadian flycatchers.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
The reserve was donated to The Nature Conservancy in 1958 through a gift from a group of local residents, the Akin Hall Association. The large entrance sign at the Quaker Lake Road parking area proclaims the reserve “A living museum for Man’s use.” Acquisition of this site was an important milestone in the Eastern New York Chapter’s early conservation portfolio, because preservation of this large tract of land is vital to the health of adjacent Great Swamp, one of New York State’s largest freshwater wetlands.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
Devil’s bit, a New York state-rare plant, is one target of long-term protection and monitoring at the site. Isolated populations of state-threatened salamanders that occupy ridge-top wetlands in the reserve are also subjects of ongoing research and protection strategies here.