Sam's Point Preserve

Sam's Point Preserve, or Sam's Point Dwarf Pine Ridge Preserve, is a preserve in Ulster County on the highest point () of the Shawangunk Ridge in New York, on the Wawarsing, New York- Shawangunk town line. It is owned and managed by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation after having previously been managed by The Nature Conservancy. Its unique environment features dwarf pitch pine trees along the ridgetop. Located within the park is Lake Maratanza, the highest lake on the ridge, and the Ellenville Fault Ice Caves.

History

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 the French and Indian War. Roads throughout the preserve were built as fire roads in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The land was once owned by the nearby village of Ellenville to protect its watershed 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 the Sam’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 the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission in April 2015, after having been managed by The Nature Conservancy since 1996. The preserve is currently managed as part of Minnewaska State Park Preserve.

April 2016 fire

In late April 2016, a fire of unknown origin burned 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. Although much of Minnewaska State Park reopened soon after the blaze, 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.

As a historically fire-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's pitch pine.

Ellenville Fault Ice Caves

The Ellenville Fault Ice Caves is the largest known open fault in the United States with corresponding ice caves. As a result of the cool microclimate, ice is present throughout the year and more northern plants such as black spruce, hemlock, mountain ash, and creeping snowberry, and bryophytes such as '' Isopterygium distichaceum'' are able to survive. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in November 1967.

There are hiking trails to the ice caves which are open in the summer, but a permit is required to visit the area.

Trails

The Long Path long-distance hiking trail crosses it, eventually reaching VerKeerderkill Falls. A branch leads to Sam's Point (with a view of land for many miles, sometimes as far as High Point in New Jersey), and another to the ice caves, with solar powered lights. Visitors who want to get to Sam's Point have to go through Cragsmoor.

Gallery

Image:SamsAccessRoad.JPG, Looking down the access road, just under the Point
Image:SamsFireRoad.JPG, A portion of the CCC fire road
Image:Hiking_to_Ice_Caves.jpg, Hiking to the Ice Caves
Image:SamsViewSE.JPG, View from the Point, looking to the southeast
Image:SamsIceCavesTrail.JPG, Along the trail to the Ice Caves
File:Inside the Sam's Point Ice Caves.jpg, Ice inside the Ice Caves as seen in June 2018
File:Verkeerderkill Falls.jpg, Verkeerderkill Falls
File:Abandoned cabin at Sam's Point Preserve.jpg, Abandoned berry picker cabin

See also

*List of National Natural Landmarks in New York

References

External links

Nature Conservancy pageOpen Space Institute pagePoint Preserve - Sam's Point Dwarf Pine Ridge Preserve Trail Details and InfoTrail Map to Ice CavesSam's Point Ice Caves Re-opened to the Public

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Protected areas of Ulster County, New York
Shawangunks
Wawarsing, New York
Nature reserves in New York (state)
Nature centers in New York (state)
Nature Conservancy preserves in New York (state)
National Natural Landmarks in New York (state)
Show caves in the United States
Ice caves
Civilian Conservation Corps in New York (state)
Caves of New York (state)
Landforms of Ulster County, New York