Suggested Bird Photography Hike at Rockefeller State Park Preserve

Consider this hike if you visit Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Pleasantville, NY, during the spring or fall bird migrations. It covers key bird habitats, including water, marshland, open fields, wood, and brush. This habitat variety allows you to view water birds, warblers, other song birds, raptors, and year-round residents, including sparrows, cardinals, and mockingbirds. This hike is about 6 miles long, with an elevation of about 450 ft, so it’s not too strenuous.

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The map above was created with AllTrails.com. Download a PDF version of the file here.

  1. From the parking lot, walk to Swan Lake and then take an immediate right up the Overlook trail
  2. Walk the Overlook Trail until you reach the Ash Tree Loop, turn left, and head down the Ash Tree Loop
  3. At the bottom of the hill, turn right on the Farm Meadow trail
  4. Follow the Farm Meadow Trail to the Hudson Pines trail and turn right
  5. At the bottom of the hill, turn right and go under the stone bridge, staying to your right until you reach the Douglas Hill trail
  6. Go up the Douglas Hill Trail and continue straight down Shady Lane
  7. At the end of the Shady Lane trail, take a left onto the Stone Bridge trail
  8. Follow the Stone Bridge trail until you get to the Gory Brook trail on the right – cross over the bridge and turn right on the Pocantico River trail
  9. Follow the Pocantico River trail and cross the 2nd bridge you see on the right to get to the Canter Alley trail
  10. Take Canter Alley back to the Douglas Hill Trail, and go back under the stone bridge and turn left on the Hudson Pines trail
  11. Take the Hudson Pines trail back to the Farm Meadow trail
  12. Follow the Farm Meadow trail and turn right on the Barnyard Hill trail
  13. Follow the Barnyard Hill trail and stay to the left on the trail to the Ash Tree Loop, then turn left
  14. Follow the Ash Tree trail down the hill until you get to the Farm Meadow trail, then turn right
  15. Follow Farm Meadow until you get to Swan Lake, then bear left along Brother’s Path trail back to where you began