Description
PLEASE NOTE: Eldridge Wilderness is open during hunting season. No hunting is allowed at Eldridge.
In 1971 Frank L. Eldridge donated this land to The Nature Conservancy. Perched high on Ithaca’s South Hill, the 87-acre Eldridge Wilderness is a mosaic of different plant communities.
The preserve includes a variety of early and late plant succession areas. Plant succession is the gradual process in which herbaceous plants, shrubs
The trail enters a second-growth hardwood forest with medium sized chestnut oak, shagbark hickory
The trail then follows the side of a gorge through a mature mixed forest with red oak and chestnut oak, beech, sugar maple and a grove of large hemlocks. Come and enjoy the tranquil beauty of this fascinating preserve.