Brinton Brook Sanctuary offers three miles of hiking trails through a wide variety of habitats. The trails of Brinton Brook Sanctuary connect to the Highland Trail, part of the Croton-on-Hudson village trail system. [Trail Map]

Please remember that a sanctuary is where all life is respected. Please do not injure or remove any animals or plants from our sanctuaries.

Brinton Brook Sanctuary is a good place to enjoy hiking, birding, wildflowers and scenic vistas. Dogs are permitted on leashes. There are no restroom or picnicking facilities.

Brinton Brook is our largest sanctuary and was the first managed by Saw Mill River Audubon. [History]

When Laura Brinton donated the land to the Audubon Society, she called it a "living museum of this region."

Garter snake in spring
near Skunk cabbage flower

For protection of the wildlife and habitat and the enjoyment and safety of our visitors, camping, fires, biking, hunting and motorized vehicles are not permitted in our sanctuaries.

We are grateful for the continuing care of our sanctuary neighbors in protecting this special habitat.

Sanctuary History
In 1957 Laura M. Brinton donated 112 acres to National Audubon as a memorial to her husband and the following year responsibility for managing the sanctuary was assigned to our chapter.

After Laura Brinton's death in 1975, an additional 17 acres were added to the refuge by Mr. Brinton's niece, Ruth Brinton Perera. In 1991 National Audubon transferred ownership of the entire sanctuary to Saw Mill River Audubon. Management rights to an additional 27 acres were obtained from the Village of Croton-on-Hudson in 1998 raising the total area to 156 acres. [Trail Map]

Road Directions
The entrance road to Brinton Brook Sanctuary is on Route 9A in Croton-on-Hudson. It can reached by the Senasqua Road exit off of Route 9. Turn left, north, on Route 9A. The sanctuary road is on the right, marked with a sign (see below).

The entrance road is 300 yards long and makes a sharp left bend at the sanctuary's parking area before continuing into a neighbor's private lane. Another sign is at the parking area.

A second entrance is at the top of Arrowcrest Road where parking is permitted outside the entrance to Hudson National Golf Club. A sign is at the trailhead. [Trail Map]

All of our sanctuaries are open to visitors free of charge, seven days a week, dawn to dusk. Please contact our office if you want to bring a group to one of our sanctuaries.
[Contact office]

With advance notice, we may be able to provide your group with a guided tour. Even if your group wishes to visit without a guide, please contact us in advance. For the best possible experience for your group, we want to ensure that your visit does not coincide with another group's visit. [More About Sanctuary Tours]

Our sanctuaries are maintained by a part-time caretaker and volunteers on trail maintenance days. A group of volunteer "Trail Walkers" monitors individual sanctuaries and reports on their conditions.[More About Trail Walkers]

Online Maps for Sanctuaries with Walking Trails

[Brinton Brook Sanctuary] [Choate Sanctuary] [Graff Sanctuary]
[Haas Sanctuary] [Pinecliff Sanctuary] [Pruyn Sanctuary]

We also invite you to consider joining us as a member.

You can join Audubon online today
and be billed later for membership.