Woodchuck Hill Field and Forest Preserve
Woodchuck Hill is located in Manlius, NY, and is the perfect destination for those looking to have a short escape into the woods.
PRESERVE SIZE
Woodchuck Hill is 94.23 acres.
PARKING
Ample off-street parking is available. Take the long driveway down to the barn complex. The trail is easily accessible from the parking lot.
Getting Here
Woodchuck Hill Field and Forest Preserve is a short drive from Route 481 Jamesville exit. Please see our map for directions from your location.
Preserve History
Tracy Lake Preserve is part of Tully Lakes - a series of kettle lakes, which are evidence of the recession of the Laurentide Ice Sheet 14,000 years ago. Kettle lakes are depressions created as relict masses of glacier ice, which are left behind by the retreating ice sheet.
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This preserve is located within the original territory of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy, who lived here for thousands of years and continue living in the area today. We hope to honor their relationship with the land by conserving this wild space forever.
Site Features
Visitors will find well-groomed trails with a minor incline at the trailhead, which opens up to mildly undulating terrain, and a pleasant winding hike through the woodland and wetland around Tracy Lake. The trail reveals several views of the water with ample opportunity for nature photography, and a viewing bench. The trail circumnavigates the majority of the lake before terminating at Gatehouse Road, at which point you can retrace your journey or follow the road back to the parking area.
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Tracy Lake Preserve contains Tracy Lake and the surrounding marshes and woodland. It also contains a large portion of the adjacent Mud Pond and East Gatehouse Pond. The wetland area around Tracy Lake is protected under the New York State and Federal Wetlands Acts.