Highlights of Choate Sanctuary are the many unusual rock outcroppings and the mature forest with large tulip trees, red oak and red maple.

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

Choate Sanctuary is a good place to enjoy hiking, birding, and quiet views over the surrounding woodland. Dogs are permitted on leashes. Please do pick up after your dog.

Located beside Route 133, Choate Sanctuary offers a welcome corner of serenity in a residential area.

White-tailed Deer in winter

Please also remember that all of our sanctuaries are closed to visitors between dusk and dawn. We are grateful for the continuing care of our sanctuary neighbors in protecting these special habitats.

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 any of our sanctuaries.

Sanctuary History
The heirs of Joseph H. Choate, Jr. gave 23 acres to the New Castle Land Conservancy in 1972 in memory of their father. Three additional acres were added to the sanctuary in 1974 by Geoffrey Platt, husband of Helen Choate Platt, in her memory.

In 1975, the New Castle Land Conservancy and Saw Mill River Audubon merged. Since then, Saw Mill River Audubon has managed Choate Sanctuary as a wildlife refuge with passive recreation use through hiking trails. In 1997, approximately four acres were added to the northern part of the sanctuary under a 99-year lease from the Town of New Castle.

Road Directions
Choate Sanctuary is at the corner of Crow Hill Road and Route 133 one mile west of Mount Kisco. [See Trail Map]

It can be reached from the Mount Kisco-Route 133 Exit of the Saw Mill River Parkway. From this exit, continue west (away from Mount Kisco) on Route 133 for approximately 1/2 mile to the Mount Kisco Presbyterian Church on the left. Crow Hill Road is immediately across from the church on the right. Turn right on Crow Hill Road, the sanctuary entrance is on the left approximately 100 feet from the intersection and marked with a sign post.

From the Taconic Parkway, take the Route 133-Route 100, Millwood-Ossining exit and continue east on Route 133 for four miles through Millwood, past the Route 120 turn to Chappaqua and past the traffic light at Seven Bridges Road. The Mount Kisco Presbyterian Church will be on the right and Crow Hill Road on the left.

Parking is sometimes available in the furthest west corner of the Mount Kisco Presbyterian Church parking lot alongside Route 133 and across from the sanctuary or on Red Oak Lane. [See Trail Map] Parking is illegal on Route 133. Please note that traffic can be very heavy on Route 133 and extreme caution is urged in crossing this road on foot. Please remember to walk single file on the left shoulder of any road and face oncoming traffic.

Visitor Information

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.