VISITING THE WALKING TRAILS
The Gardens and Walking Trails are open to the public daily from 8:00 a.m. to dusk.

Trail Map

THE LANE LOOP, as this road was known historically, leads directly from the house to the Hudson River. It passes two of the Young family pet cemeteries. The first, at the beginning of the road, was used by Miss Young for the many dogs and cats that she cared for in her later years. The other, further down the hill, was used for the family dogs early in this century. Near the second cemetery the road branches to form the Grade Road to the north and a fork, which is the point where the Loop is formed. The Lane passes a barn whose history is largely unknown. One section appears to have been built using materials from an 18th century barn. An addition is probably from the turn of the 20th century. The small stone and masonry structure that can be seen along this route is a hydraulic ram housing. It contained an apparatus that collected water from an underground stream and forced it to the house for domestic use. The brick structures in the ravine on the opposite side of the road collected and filtered the water. This 19th century system remained in use through the 1970's. Trail length, approximately 1.2 miles.

THE GRADE ROAD has historically been used to reach the lower acreage. Its slope (or grade) is gentler than that of the Lane. The site of Henry Livingston, Jr.'s homestead is located at the eastern end of this trail near Rt. 9. It leads along to the bottom of a ravine with some tulip trees of notable stature. Tulip, or yellow poplar, is the tallest growing hardwood tree in the eastern United States. The home and carriage house to the north are private property and not a part of Locust Grove. This trail may be used when returning from your walk as it passes the steep portion of the Lane and emerges near the parking lot. Trail length, approximately 0.2 miles.

THE LAKESIDE TRAIL cuts through the center of Lane Loop along the edge of a pond known as the Lake. The term "lake" was often applied to a man-made pond with natural form in the landscape. This trail may be used as a shortened walk that does not continue to the Hudson, or to access trails on the opposite side of the property. The area offers an excellent opportunity to observe the diverse range of wildlife that inhabits or visits the vicinity of the pond. Large and small mammals (deer, raccoons, coyotes, muskrats); wetland and woodland birds (including ducks, woodpeckers, and grouse); as well as numerous fish, amphibians and reptiles are abundant. Trail length, approximately 0.1 miles.

THE COPPER MINE RIDGE TRAIL was part of a road between Morse's Locust Grove and Edgehill and Southwood, the two estates to the north. These neighbors shared a common landscape and activities and found this connection to be to their mutual advantage. The western portion of this trail climbs the side of a rugged hill. Glimpses of the Hudson and Blue Point on the opposite shore may be seen at various points. Much of this area's geological history is exhibited in this hill. The rock mass was formed deep beneath the Taconic Mountains in western Connecticut and then forced westward and upward until exposed in its present location. Trail length, approximately 0.3 miles.

THE SUNFISH COVE TRAIL is a spur off the Copper Mine Ridge Trail that leads along the edge of Sunfish Cove. Once a part of the river shoreline, the cove was separated from the Hudson by the construction of the railroad in the late 1840's. This has tended to create an altered environment where the natural flow of water is restricted, resulting in increased siltation and gradual build-up of the cove bottom. This has allowed vegetative colonies, such as water chestnut, which would not otherwise have become established, to flourish. The northern edge of the cove is Mine Point where Henry Livingston, Sr. operated a copper mine in the 18th century. Portions of this trail are narrow and near cliff edges. Trail length, approximately 0.2 miles.

THE SAW MILL TRAIL leads along the western edge of the ravine, toward the Hudson River, past the site of Henry Livingston, Jr.'s sawmill. Today, evidence remains of the pond and dam where plunging water once powered the mill. This trails ascends a hill and approaches a cliff that overlooks the Hudson. THIS CLIFF IS UNGUARDED.  FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY, DO NOT APPROACH THE EDGE. From this vantage there is a panoramic view of the river northward past the Mid-Hudson and Poughkeepsie Railroad bridges, along the west bank, and south past Harry's Point. This point was named for Henry Livingston, Jr. who operated a sloop landing on the site. The Pirate Canoe Club now owns this point. Trail length, approximately 0.2 miles.

THE RAVINE TRAIL leads through groves of hemlock and flowering dogwood on the edge of a deep ravine. A wetland at one end of this trail and the Lake near the other, connected by a wooded habitat, offer the opportunity to a wide range of birdlife (such as ducks, heron, warblers, finches, vireos and thrushes) and animals (including deer, squirrels, rabbits, opossums, foxes, and coyotes). At one point along this trail, a row of locust fence posts still stands, marking the southern boundary of the Samuel Morse estate. Trail length, approximately 0.3 miles.

THE HEMLOCK TRAIL branches from, and returns to, the Ravine Trail. It leads deeper into the ravine through restful hemlocks and behind a rock ledge. This narrow path crosses steep and fragile slopes, making walking more difficult than on most of the other trails on the site. Trail length, approximately 0.1 miles.

THE CASCADE TRAIL leads to a stream that tumbles over rock ledges into what is probably the site of Samuel Morse's fish pond. This is the spot he "...cherished as the most valuable on (his) place." Trail length, approximately 0.1 miles.

THE LANE LOOP SPUR connects one end of both the Eagle Trail and the Ravine Trail to the Loop Lane. Trail length, approximately 0.1 miles.

THE EAGLE TRAIL, constructed as an Eagle Scout project, is located at the foot of the bluff that separates the woodlands and the homestead. This trail is narrow and on fragile slopes, making walking here more difficult than on other trails on the site. On the hillside are many stately oak and tulip trees that date to the period of MorseÕs ownership. This trail skirts a wetland that offers excellent opportunities for wildlife observation. The area along the bluff has been protected from development as a conservation zone by an agreement between the Pizzagalli Development Corporation and Locust Grove. Trail length, approximately 0.4 miles.

Trail Map