Salt Hill State Forest

The park today

Salt Hill State Forest covers 269.7 acres on the north side of Route 129 (Yorktown Road) in the Town of Cortlandt, near the Croton Reservoir and about a mile east of Croton Gorge Park at the dam. The property takes in a lake of more than 7 acres known as Blue Lake, a 1.5-acre pond beside Route 129, about 15 acres of wetlands, and the 699-foot summit of Salt Hill, with rocky ridgelines, streams and vernal pools in between.

Trails are currently unmarked and follow old woods roads. From the small pull-off on Route 129 next to the pond, a connector leads down to Blue Lake (about 1.5 miles from the parking area) and on to the Salt Hill summit (about a 3-mile walk), where DEC's map marks a scenic view. The road network is open to multi-use recreation: hiking, hunting, fishing, mountain biking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Blue Lake holds perch and trout. DEC asks visitors to stay on trails on state land to respect adjacent private property; expect no facilities of any kind.

History

The land — part of the historic Cortlandt Manor Patent — was a working property well into the twentieth century: emery (corundum) was mined here at some point, and longtime owner John R. Nelson operated a sawmill on the property through the mid-1940s. Stone walls, several old foundations, two root cellars and a spring house survive from that era, along with the remains of a 1950s fire tower on Salt Hill that was discontinued in the early 1970s. DEC has said some building debris and the fire tower remains are slated for removal, leaving the older stone structures and spring house.

The state acquired the property to protect New York City's Croton Watershed. In 1997 Governor George E. Pataki pledged $7.5 million toward environmentally sensitive lands in the watershed, and in 2002 New York State purchased the 269-acre parcel for $2,940,000. It is now managed by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation as a state forest, with special-use regulations adopted at 6 NYCRR 190.41.

Longer-term management is being set through DEC's East of Hudson Unit Management Plan (draft released for comment in 2022). Proposals include marking and improving the main trail, designating hiking and biking trails while closing paths that stray onto adjacent private land, and building a screened parking lot on the eastern edge of the property in place of the Route 129 pull-off.

Hunting, fishing and trapping

The forest is in Wildlife Management Unit 3S. Big-game season is limited to bowhunting — no rifles are permitted afield in Westchester County — and target shooting is prohibited on the property under 6 NYCRR Part 74. Licensed anglers, hunters and trappers are the only visitors allowed outside daylight hours (see rules).

Special regulations (6 NYCRR 190.41)

No camping. No entry between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise, except licensed anglers, hunters and trappers, or permit holders. No fires of any kind, including charcoal, gas grills and portable stoves. No alcoholic beverages. No glass containers (except for prescribed medication). No audible music or audio devices without headphones. No swimming or bathing. Motor vehicles may park only in areas DEC has designated and marked for parking.

Visiting

Hours

Open year-round. Entry is prohibited from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise, except for licensed anglers, hunters and trappers, or DEC permit holders.

Parking

A small gravel pull-off on the north side of Route 129 (Yorktown Road) next to the 1.5-acre pond near the property's southeast corner — DEC's web page calls it a 6-car pull-off; DEC's map labels it an existing 4-car lot. The trail connector to Blue Lake begins just east of it. DEC describes this parking as temporary; a replacement lot on the eastern edge of the property is proposed in the East of Hudson UMP.

Getting there

Take Route 129 (Yorktown Road) east from the Village of Croton-on-Hudson; the forest is on the north side of the road past Croton Gorge Park, near the Croton Reservoir. Croton Avenue and Colabaugh Pond Road bound the property area to the east and southwest.

Rules

Free. Special regulations under 6 NYCRR 190.41: no camping, no fires or grills of any kind, no alcohol, no glass containers, no audible music, no swimming, and parking only in designated areas; night entry only for licensed anglers, hunters, trappers or permit holders. Big game hunting is bowhunting-only; target shooting is prohibited. Standard DEC state-land regulations otherwise apply. Contact: DEC Region 3 New Paltz office, (845) 256-3076.

Accessibility

Links

• NYS DEC: Salt Hill State Forest
• DEC infrastructure & recreation map (PDF)
• Special regulations, 6 NYCRR 190.41