Big Tree Loop - Rockefeller State Park Preserve

Rockefeller State Park Preserve contains 1775 acres of preserved land, of which about 1450 acres are forest. Much of the mesic woodlands are oak-tulip, a forest community considered imperiled or vulnerable by the New York Natural Heritage Program. These successional forests contain 150-ft tall tulip poplars, the tallest black oak in New York State at 132 ft tall, and countless other over-100-ft trees. This area of the park has likely been regenerating to mature forest since William H. Aspinwall bought it as parcels of farmland in 1860. Since at least 1886, when John D. Rockefeller began acquiring these properties, this land has been preserved and maintained for passive recreation through its private and public ownership. The towering tulips of Big Tree Loop are likely to be untouched since Aspinwall’s time.

The forests, fields, streams, and wetlands of Rockefeller State Park Preserve support a high diversity of native species of resident and migratory birds, mammals, insects, amphibians, reptiles, fish and aquatic species, some of which are in decline and now uncommon in Westchester County. With 202 recorded species of birds and its Important Bird Area designation by the National Audubon Society, the Preserve is a must-visit area for birders. Over 100 species of native wild bees frequent spring and summer wildflowers. In the fall, Monarch butterflies stop to feed and lay eggs during their southward migration. An environmental stewardship team works year-round to favor native biological diversity.

Thirty miles north of New York City, the property is the former Pocantico Hills and Rockwood Hall country estates of the Rockefeller family. Since 1983, the Rockefeller Family has generously donated over 1771 acres to the State of New York to safeguard these lands for present and future generations. Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, the Preserve is open to the public year-round, sunrise to sunset.