Directions.
The 198-acre Schoharie Creek Preserve was given to the Conservancy in
1998 by Drs. Lester Citrin and Clifford Tepper of Schenectady. The preserve
is located in Montgomery County on the west bank of the Schoharie Creek,
about a mile north of Burtonsville. From Esperance (which is on U.S. Route 20) take the Burtonsville Road about 4 miles north to Burtonsville;
continue on the Burtonsville Road for about one more mile to its junction
with Butler Road. The northwest corner of this intersection was the location
of the Burtonsville School, and is the approximate center of the Schoharie
Creek Preserve.
On the south side of Burtonsville Road, an old farm road leads past a dilapidated barn and up the hill. The Conservancy is in the process of mapping the farm road and several interconnecting trails. Butler Road leads past a large pond and another dilapidated barn, both on the west side of the road. The pond and barn are on opposite sides of a large overgrown farm field; west of the field is a neighboring horse farm. Directly across Butler Road from the barn are a series of overgrown fields that lead down to Schoharie Creek; it appears that hunters have marked a trail through the fields to the Creek with plastic flagging tape.
At
about ½ mile from Burtonsville Road, Butler Road crosses Wilsey (or Mill)
Creek, the northern boundary of the preserve; a wide pull-off on the north
side of the bridge is a convenient place to park. Mill Creek flows on
bedrock over a series of lovely waterfalls, the largest of which is at
the bridge. As it flows into Schoharie Creek, Mill Creek creates a very
unusual (and dangerous) rock formation that can be reached via a trail
that starts just south of the bridge; following this trail down to Schoharie
Creek is physically difficult and not for the faint of heart.
A management plan and trails map are not yet available. However, the Preserve boundaries are marked with MHLC boundary markers. For the more adventurous, an aerial photo showing the preserve boundaries can be obtained by calling the Conservancy at 436-6346.