Hoffman Center Nature Preserve - Nature Trails

Distance: 5 miles    Elevation Gain: 0-5 ft   Hike Time:  2 hours +   Difficulty: Easy  Trail Condition: Earth  Hike Type: various

How to Get There: Take LIE East to Glen Cove Road North (Exit 39). At exit turn left onto Glen Cove Road (North). Drive approximately 2 miles and turn right on Route 25A. Hoffman Center is approximately 5 miles east on right - less than 1/4 mile past Old Brookville Police Station on left. Turn right into driveway, just before Martin Viette Nursery.

General Information:  The 155-acre preserve has open meadows, secondary oak-brush, tall mixed deciduous forest, restored indigenous grasslands, vernal and man-made ponds, and is a haven to at least 49 species of butterflies, 149 resident and migrating birds, and more than 150 native plant species. 

Species you might encounter during your walk include: red-tailed hawks, an egret or heron, woodpeckers, pheasants, cottontail rabbits, box turtles, woodchucks, opossum, foxes, Canada geese, bats, owls, raccoons, more than 49 species of butterflies and 141+ resident and migrating birds - including blue birds  and grass nesting birds.

The Center is also  a “sanctuary” for more than 150 native plant species including fragile, endangered and “watch list” flora such as the Pink Lady Slipper Orchids (Cypripedium acaule), thought to be lost to this area.

Guided nature tours are scheduled for the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month.  Groups must schedule with the center - click here for contact information.