Opdahl Farm (DEC)
Ownership
New York State recently purchased this property from The Nature Conservancy.
Trails
The trail’s surface ranges from mowed vegetation to forest floor to boardwalk. The trail is level. Muddy or wet spots are rare.
Download a map of the trails (PDF)
Link to the NYS DEC Saratoga Sand Plains WMA map of Opdahl Farm
Advisory
The parking lot for the Opdahl Farm is not plowed in the winter. Please do not park in the church parking lot. You can access the Odpahl Farm trails via the plowed parking lots at Camp Saratoga on Scout Road.
Butterfly milkweed provides nectar to many species of butterflies. Photo credit: Sarah Clarkin
History
Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park is located on the ancestral homelands of the Mohican, Mohawk, and Abenaki people. The Woodruff family farmed this land from 1936 to 1972. In 1997, Viola Woodruff Opdahl donated 43 acres of the property to The Nature Conservancy to ensure it remain forever undeveloped.
Description
The parcel has both woodland and open fields. The Nature Conservancy, working with the New York State DEC and volunteers from the Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park, restored an old field to early successional habitat that supports the endangered Karner blue butterfly. In the spring and summer, wildflowers sway amongst native little bluestem grass creating a prairie-like scene.
Uses
The Opdahl Farm is open to the public from dawn to dusk. Unleashed dogs, dumping, unauthorized vehicles, unauthorized fires, and camping are prohibited.
Directions
GPS: 43.16353 -73.70271