Rockefeller State Park Preserve and Rockwood Hall represent one of the true gems of Westchester County, offering acres acres of well-maintained, protected open fields, trails  and forest.

With over 200 recorded bird species, the Preserve has been designated as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society. Hardwood forest trees include tulip poplar, maple, beech and huge oak. The landscape encompasses the Pocantico River, a loop around Swan Lake, and colonial stone walls.

Rockwood Hall, adjacent to Phelps Memorial Hospital and the James House Mansion, is ideal for sledding in the winter and wild raspberry foraging in the summer. The acreage offers stunning views of the Hudson from rolling meadows and pathed walkways among impressive specimen trees. All that exists of the former 202-room Rockefeller mansion that used to be here are the massive rock walls around its site.

Together these incredible 1,771 acres came as a gift in 1983 from the Rockefeller family  to New York State to forever preserve this remarkable asset.

Maps, restrooms, and even an art gallery are found at the Preserve’s main entrance on Route 117, where there is a small fee to park. Rockwood Hall has a small free lot at the northern end of the hospital complex.

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For more about the history of Rockwood Hall, click here.