Oscawana Island Nature Preserve is located in Cortlandt Manor, NY. Westchester County purchased the land in 1958 and has an intermunicipal agreement with the Town of Cortlandt who uses and operates the property for municipal recreational purposes.
The below photos were taken in early March but the park is beautiful during all seasons.
Access
The parking lot can be found near the intersection of Maiden Ln and Cortlandt Rd. It is not clearly marked on Google Maps but if you navigate to this intersection you'll see the pull off near a small bridge. The small lot is shared with Oscawana Park which has additional wooded trails across the street that tour McAndrews Estate. (McAndrews Estate was once part of a working farm /estate and it contains some interesting ruins which I find very eerie and majestic! Review is forthcoming.)
Terrain
The paths to Oscawana Nature Preserve are not well-marked but they are easy to follow. A wide, gravel road leads up over the metro-north train tracks towards the Hudson River. My kids especially like to stand and watch the trains passing by, so it's a nice perk for train lovers.
Family & Dog Friendly
The path is not a loop but it is not long - maybe 1/2 mile max (~1 mile out & back) out to the Hudson River. You can go directly down to the rocks along the riverside; I often see folks fishing down along the water. If you follow the smaller wooded trail to the right before reaching the river, it loops back to the main path over the railroad. The terrain is easy to navigate for children ages 3 and up. There are a few picnic tables and benches available for snacks or water breaks and beautiful sweeping views of the Hudson River and the nearby marshland.
On a solo visit to this location in early Spring I brought along some painting supplies to do a few sketches which I used subsequently to inform a painting.
Limitations
None really, except that the trail is short, possibly under a mile. If you're looking for more hiking, just cross the road from the parking lot and check out Oscawana Park! There are sooo many interesting features to explore there and I'm looking forward to sharing in my review.
I live less than two miles away from Oscawana Island and it took me 3 years to explore this hidden gem of a park. Share some comments below if you've visited this park already!
Picnic break near the marshes.
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