Route 146, which bisects the preserve, is thought to be the old “Palantine Road,” built by Palatine Germans in the early eighteenth century to connect their settlements in the Schoharie Valley with Albany. The area north of Route 146 was abandoned as pasture land more than 50 years ago. The southern area of the preserve was probably never farmed but only used for logging.
A 1.3-mile trail is blazed orange and has a few short but steep climbs. After you cross the road and enter the southern section, use special care to avoid stepping into deep crevices and holes in the limestone, especially in winter or after the leaves have fallen, when the crevices may be hidden. Allow about one hour to complete the circuit.
Before you visit, please download a trail map.
Visitors to this site will find unusual cracks and crevices where rain has dissolved away the underlying limestone bedrock. There is also a fine display of wildflowers in the spring, the most striking of which is white trillium that blankets the forest floor for a few weeks in May.
This 70-acre preserve is located in the Town of Knox in Albany County, NY.
