| Sam's Point Preserve | |
|---|---|
 Pine barrens | |
  Map ofNew York | |
| Location | Ulster County,New York |
| Nearest city | Ellenville |
| Coordinates | 41°40′09″N74°21′19″W / 41.66926°N 74.35521°W /41.66926; -74.35521 |
| Area | 4,600 acres (19 km2) |
Sam's Point Preserve, orSam's Point Dwarf Pine Ridge Preserve, is a 4,600-acre (19 km2) preserve inUlster County on the highest point (2,289 feet [698 m]) of theShawangunk Ridge inNew York, on theWawarsing, New York-Shawangunk town line. It is owned and managed by theNew York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation after having previously been managed byThe Nature Conservancy. Its uniqueenvironment features dwarfpitch pine trees along the ridgetop. Located within the park isLake Maratanza, the highest lake on the ridge, and the Ellenville Fault Ice Caves.Parking reservations are required April 15 through November 15 on weekends and holidays.
The name derives from a folktale in which a noted Spanish settler named Samuel Gunsalus, pursued by Indians, jumped off the cliff to avoid capture and miraculously survived the drop with the trees breaking his fall, around the time of theFrench and Indian War.[1] Roads throughout the preserve were built as fire roads in the 1930s by theCivilian Conservation Corps.
The land was once owned by the nearbyvillage of Ellenville to protect itswatershed and partly by a company which offered tours of the ice caves. The Open Space Institute, working with The Nature Conservancy, bought it with assistance from the Lila Acheson and Dewitt Wallace Fund for the Hudson Highlands, after the village considered selling the land to developers.
In 2005, the Preserve opened theSam’s Point Conservation Center with education facilities, exhibits and a gift shop. A parking fee of $10 per vehicle is charged.
Management of the preserve was transferred to theNew York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and thePalisades Interstate Park Commission in April 2015, after having been managed by The Nature Conservancy since 1996. The preserve is currently managed as part ofMinnewaska State Park Preserve.[2]
In late April 2016, a fire of unknown origin burned 2,028 acres (8.21 km2) of the park and nearby woodlands. Emanating from the Verkeederkill Falls trail the fire quickly spread northwest across the plateau as well as adjacent terrains. Containing the fire required nearly a week of effort from over 300 responders from local and state agencies; no structural damage and only minor injuries were reported.[3] Although much of Minnewaska State Park reopened soon after the blaze,[4] the Sam's Point section remained completely closed until Memorial Day weekend; at that time, only selected trails at Sam's Point were re-opened to the public to prevent the introduction of invasive species to the recovering landscape.[5]
As a historicallyfire-adapted ecosystem, much of the vegetation at Sam's Point responded positively in the wake of the fire. However, an abundance of fuel due to reduced fire frequency in recent years led to an intense, fast-moving blaze that did not completely burn through accumulated debris, which may inhibit the regeneration of the park'spitch pine.[5][6]
TheEllenville Fault Ice Caves is the largest known openfault in the United States with correspondingice caves. As a result of the cool microclimate, ice is present throughout the year and more northern plants such asblack spruce,hemlock,mountain ash, andcreeping snowberry, and bryophytes such asIsopterygium distichaceum are able to survive.[7] It was designated aNational Natural Landmark in November 1967.[8]
There are hiking trails to the ice caves which are open in the summer.[9]
TheLong Path long-distancehikingtrail crosses it, eventually reachingVerKeerderkill Falls. A branch leads to Sam's Point (with a view of land for many miles, sometimes as far asHigh Point inNew Jersey), and another to the ice caves, with solar powered lights. Visitors who want to get to Sam's Point have to go throughCragsmoor.
