The Laurence Rockefeller Preserve

When on vacation last week we checked out the Laurance Rockefeller Preserve. Its been open for only a year so we really knew nothing about it. Laurence was a brother to Nelson and son of John D and a well known champion of conservationist causes. He donate the land and was instrumental in the way it was developed although he died before the preserve opened.

The preserve is very green, the bathrooms have composting toliet's and the parking lot is a small size to limit the number of hiker on the preserve at any given time. We had to go back twice because the place was too busy.

The building has some nice exhibits. In one room were four vertical movie screens showing wildlife in its natural habitat with the sound to go with it. You really felt you were in the willows with a moose. Just fascinating. In the next room the experience was even better. You sat on a bench there was nothing to look at but all of a sudden you hear wolves howling or a eagle flying and any other number of sounds from the wild. Once again the sound was incredible.













The area has several hiking trails. We took a hike to Phelps lake. It was 2.5 ,mile hike and when you were at the lake it was like no one else had ever been there, The water was crystal clear and there were only a few hikers that we saw. The trail had nice benches at appropriate stop. There was an outhouse out there too but it was like no outhouse I have ever seen before. Fabulous architecture out in the middle of nowhere. Here I am sitting outside of it on the benches provided.













When we were on the trail we had to cross a road and look what I found a stop sign for hobbits, Bilbo is that you around the corner?













This is Phelps Lake, which was where we hiked to. It really was beautiful. It was a 5 mile hike around the lake so we declined that little jaunt and headed back. We really liked this preserve and I imagine we will be back for more hikes in the future.