Westchester Wilderness Walk - Pound Ridge, New York
Directions to trailhead
From I-684 take Exit 4 (Mount Kisco/Bedford). Turn east at the bottom of the ramp onto NY 172. At a Shell gas station, turn left and continue to follow NY 172 through the village of Bedford. At a Mobil gas station, turn right onto Long Ridge Road. In 2.5 miles, turn left onto Upper Shad Road and continue for 0.3 mile to a small parking turnout on the left side of the road. The trailhead is marked by a small green sign for the Zofnass Family Preserve.
Hike Description
The Westchester Wilderness Walk might not fit the dictionary definition of “wilderness.” The area is criss-crossed with stone walls, remnants of the early settlements in the area, and houses may occasionally be seen from the trails. But remarkably, for nearly the entire hike, one is entirely removed from the surrounding civilization of Westchester County. The trails have been routed – often, quite circuitously – to pass many unusual and interesting natural features, resulting in a hike that will probably seem longer than the map appears to indicate. This preserve was created -- without any public funding – over a period of 20 years by the efforts of Paul Zofnass, a Manhattan investment banker, who arranged for the purchase or donation of various privately-owned parcels.
The trails in the preserve form five loops, four of which will be covered in this hike. They are blazed with green plastic logo markers of the Westchester Land Trust and with blue paint blazes on rocks. Many of the trails are bordered by logs. However, the hiker should be alert for sharp turns, some of which are easily missed, especially if the ground is covered with snow. Note that there are a number of side trails in the preserve that are not marked with the green plastic logo markers and are not included in this hike.
The trail begins at a kiosk just beyond the parking area, where a map of the preserve is posted. It continues along a woods road, with a wetland on the left, soon passing the start of the West Loop. Continue straight ahead towards the South Loop. A short distance beyond, a sign on the right (behind a deer exclosure) marks the Princess Pine Grove – named for the tiny club moss found in the area. This is the first of a number of named natural features along the trail, many of which are marked by signs.
Soon, the trail narrows to a footpath and crosses several streams on rocks. When you reach a T-intersection, with a wooden bridge on the right, turn left and cross a rock causeway, with a wooden handrail, over a stream. Just beyond, you’ll come to a junction, where the South Loop begins. Turn right and follow the loop in a counter-clockwise direction. Upon reaching Becky’s Brook, the hiker is given the choice of an easier or more difficult route. Just ahead, you'll pass the ruins of Tom’s Cabin. A short distance beyond, you’ll climb rock steps in a narrow passage between two rocks and reach Trudeau’s Point of View.
When you arrive at the South Loop Short Cut, turn right to continue on the main loop. After descending a little, you’ll pass various plaques that recognize the dedicated efforts of the Zofnass family in protecting the preserve. You’ll pass an arboretum on the right and a wetland bordered by well-laid stone walls, then cross a paved private road and go by several more plaques. Just beyond, bear right at a junction to stay on the main trail.
After passing the Lover Trees and crossing a wet area on rocks, the trail climbs a rock stairway to reach Tulip Tree Heights. A short distance beyond, you’ll arrive at Jessica’s Junction, where you should turn right to follow the Roundabout in a counter-clockwise direction. Then, in about a quarter of a mile, you’ll reach another intersection. Here, you should turn right onto the “lollipop stick” of the East Loop.
After a relatively level section, you’ll reach the top of the Grand Stone Staircase. Two routes are provided to descend this interesting feature, with the left route designated as “easier” and the right route “harder.” Neither route is particularly difficult, but you will be returning this way, so you may wish to select the “easier” route for the descent and the “harder” route for the ascent on the return.
After a short descent, you’ll reach an intersection where the East Loop proper begins. Bear right to follow the loop in a counter-clockwise direction. Cross a wet area on large rocks, climb a little, then turn left onto a woods road, with a large wetland on the left and a deer exclosure on the right. When you reach a kiosk and a sign “Out to Upper Shad .1 m,” turn left to continue along the East Loop. At the end of the wetland, you’ll pass a small parking area on the right and reach a paved private road (Joshua Hobby Road). Turn left and follow the road for 250 feet, crossing the outlet of the wetland on the road bridge, then turn left, cross a small stream on a rock bridge, and reenter the woods. This is about the halfway point of the hike. The trail now follows a rather rugged footpath along the northeast shore of the wetland, with several cliffs looming above to the right.
When you reach the end of the loop at the northwest corner of the wetland, turn right. You’re now retracing your steps along the “lollipop stick” of the loop, going back up the Grand Stone Staircase and continuing to the junction with the Roundabout, where you should again turn right.
The trail descends to cross a stream on large rocks. A short distance beyond, it climbs to Over the Top (a rock outcrop to the left of the trail) and descends to Moss Falls, a huge boulder covered with moss. It then climbs to Razor Ridge Rock. After paralleling a stone wall, the trail turns left, making a sharp U-turn, and descends. The trail circles the interesting Roundabout Rock and soon arrives at another junction, where you should turn left. Immediately, you’ll cross a stream on rocks. After briefly paralleling the stream, the trail bears left and begins to head south.
At the next junction, you should turn right at a sign “South Loop – to Kiosk” and go through Wedge Walk Rock, a narrow passage between two boulders. You’ll soon pass the aptly named TV Antenna Rock and descend to a stream. The trail turns right and follows along the stream on large rocks, with the stream directly below (this section of the trail is called the Streambed Steps and is marked with blue paint blazes). After a short distance, the trail turns left and climbs rock steps to the right of a large boulder. It passes Fowler’s Rock and Pauley’s Point Rock and then runs near the edge of an escarpment, with views over a wetland below.
After passing Frannie's View on the left, you'll reach a T-intersection. Turn left at this intersection and descend. Near the base of the descent, one is given the option of taking a longer route around a vernal poind or a shorter, more direct route. A short distance beyond, the trail passes Jurassic Rock and soon begins to run along a wetland. It loops around to cross one end of the wetland on rocks. Then, at the next junction, turn right, but bear left just ahead, where a short side trail to the right leads to a Tulip Poplar Tree. The trail now makes a long loop to the southwest, soon reaching Layer Cake Rock. Be sure to turn left here, as the path straight ahead is a side loop. The main trail goes past Lichen Ledge, Tulip Tree Squeeze and Cantilever Rock. After paralleling a long, slanted rock, it makes a sharp U-turn and begins to descend on switchbacks. Near the base of the descent, it follows stone steps along an attractive cascade and continues on a level path alongside a wetland.
In a short distance, you’ll notice a sign for the West Loop Trail on the right. A portion of the West Loop Trail is currently closed due to flooding caused by beavers, so you should continue ahead on the South Loop, which follows a level path, with a wetland on the right. In a quarter mile, you'll reach a junction where the South Loop begins on the left. Continue ahead (do not turn left) and retrace your steps back to the parking area at the entrance to the preserve, where the hike began.