The Leland Reserve

Recent History
The Leland Reserve is an 18 acre property located at the crest of Preston Hill Road in Hamilton, NY.  It was donated to SMHT in 2003 by Ann Leland with the provision that the property be open to the public and used as an educational and recreational resource.  The Reserve is open from dawn to dusk and NO overnight parking is allowed at the parking area.  In addition, the Reserve is closed to the public during bow hunting season.  Check with the NY DEC for season dates. SMHT is dedicated to managing the property as a Reserve, maintaining the general features as they exist today.  In broad terms these consist of the old field, shrubland, native hardwood forest and the riparian corridor with exposed geology. Motorized vehicles and snow mobiles are not permitted except for maintenance of the Reserve.    Google Map of the Reserve.    10-Year Stewardship Plan

Trail Guide   An interpretive trail guide was developed by Sam Torrey, a Colgate University student in the Colgate Upstate Institute Summer Intern Program.  He worked with SMHT members to develop the guide and did much of the work clearing the trail and setting the guideposts.   Trail Guide: .     See complete map below.

Take a slide show walk down the trail in Summer 2007     or  Winter 2007       If you visit the site, there is an audio tour accessed via a QR code reader on a smart phone.  Link to QR code to check how this works.

Public Access and Education Project Completed:  This project, funded By a grant of $2000 (25% match) from the Land Trust Alliance, allowed us to expand an existing trail system on the Leland Reserve to provide additional access to wetlands for the public and expand the environmental education project scope for the 5th grade classes of the Hamilton Central School.  Take a 4 minute walk down the completed ( in 2011) Wetland Trail.

5th Grade Ecology Project with the Hamilton Central School   

 or  Building the Bridge 4/26/08         or    Girls Scouts Visit on May 6, 2008   

Geocaching:  We now have two caches at the Leland reserve.  Here are the details 

Colgate has a video of “A Day in the Life of Sam Torrey” describing some of his activities on the Leland Reserve.    Watch video  =>

Property Plan
The plan shows the irregularly shaped Leland Reserve and its location just south of the village of Hamilton, NY.  The numbers locate the guideposts for the self guided interpretive trail brochure available at the Reserve.   Print map below. 

Link to Google map.

Leland Reserve Trailhead - Please park in our parking lot,

 just past our post & rail fence and main gate.  Enter the reserve from the parking lot. 
If you visit the site, there is an audio tour accessed via a QR code reader on a smart phone.

 Link to QR code to check how this works.

Take a slide show walk down the trail in Summer 2007 
  or  Winter 2007                 

   Return to top

Trail Map:   Print Version

   Return to top