Roy H. Park Preserve

Just a short drive from Ithaca, this 241-acre preserve, owned by the Finger Lakes Land Trust, borders Yellow Barn and Hammond Hill State Forests and a Cornell Natural Area, making it an important connector in an array of nearly 8,000 acres of open space. Protection of these lands adds another gem to the “Emerald Necklace,” the Land Trust’s initiative to connect 50,000 acres of public land around Ithaca. The preserve has more than 1.5 miles of hiking trails and a universally accessible boardwalk that offers visitors a path across Six-Mile Creek and a connection to more than 15 miles of multi-use trails on neighboring state land. In addition to the wetlands, the preserve features a mixed hardwood forest, hemlock woods, vernal pools, and an expansive beaver pond. The vernal pools provide superb habitat for spotted salamanders and wood frogs. On an early April day, listen for the ringing birdlike calls of spring peepers and the clackety-quacking of wood frogs heralding the coming of spring, and keep on the lookout for great blue herons. The Park Preserve is renowned among local birders for its splendid array of breeding birds. In the forest, you may hear winter wren, hermit thrush, northern waterthrush, and Louisiana waterthrush; while in the field, listen for prairie warbler, eastern bluebird, tree swallow, eastern towhee, indigo bunting, and yellow-billed cuckoo.