Pruyn Sanctuary
Trail Map

[Trail Descriptions] [Sanctuary Description] [Travel Directions]

Trail Descriptions

The Fern Trail, marked with white, leads from the sanctuary trails entrance on Woodmill Road along a dirt road cut through the woods when this land was surveyed for possible development in the 1970s.  The dirt road takes you to a boardwalk through a swamp.  Pruyn Trail (see below) begins here. The Fern Trail continues along the edge of the swamp and crosses it again with another boardwalk segment before continuing south through upland woodlands and a loop walk through rocky hilltops.  This trail ends at Seven Bridges Road through a section of sanctuary land that runs between two private houses.

The Pruyn Trail, marked with green, includes a boardwalk loop through a swamp.  The boardwalks are constructed from recycled plastic, which is safer for the fragile wetland and less slippery for visitors than wooden walkways.  The trail crosses Gedney Brook and continues beside mudflats and a pond.  A side trail on the eastern side of the stream leads to a bird blind, an observation area and bird feeding station. The Pruyn Trail makes a loop uphill, through an arboretum with labeled trees and shrubs, near the Pruyn House, and back down to the swamp.  The arboretum also contains a butterfly and hummingbird garden.  Pruyn House is the office for Saw Mill River Audubon. Restrooms are available during office hours only. [For more information, visit the web page for the chapter office.]

The Ridge Walk, marked with blue, leads up a gentle slope from its start off the Fern Trail near the sanctuary entrance.  It continues through open woodlands where locust trees are giving way to black birch, sugar maple and American beech trees.  The trail descends into a small valley where spring wildflowers are prevalent and deer and other wildlife take shelter from winter winds.

The Deer Loop, marked with yellow and connected to the Ridge Walk, follows the northeastern boundary of the sanctuary and is very steep in sections, leading past some outstanding rock formations and stands of chestnut oak.  It loops back through the secluded valley described above.

The Swamp View Trail, marked with red, is in the south part of the sanctuary.  It passes beside a stone wall that overlooks the Crystal Spring wildlife area continuing through a beech grove and near wild azalea and high bush blueberry shrub stands.

The Crystal Spring Trail, marked with orange, follows a boardwalk section across the southern part of the swamp adjacent to the Birchwood Swim Club.   This boardwalk was built with a grant from the New York City Environmental Fund in March, 1999.  On the other side of the swamp, the trail encircles a steep rocky hillside that offers another view overlooking the swamp.

 

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Online Maps for Sanctuaries with Walking Trails

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

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