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Spring at Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary in upstate New York

Spring at Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary in upstate New York
Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary, New York

It was a lovely spring day and we decided to celebrate it with a visit to the Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary in upstate New York.  This nature preserve has over 140 acres with plenty of trails for hiking, a babbling creek to calm the soul, a little pond to sit beside, and a diverse mixture of woods that attracts a variety of wildlife.  I even saw my first spring flowers popping up.  

Spring at Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary in upstate New York
Spring flowers dot the trails.
Spring at Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary in upstate New York
Onion grass peeks up through the leaves letting us know that spring is finally here.

Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary

Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary is a 140 acre nature preserve that is part of Audubon International (not the Audubon Society!).  It was given to the Audubon in 1988 from Robert and Leona Rienow.  Robert was a local to the area who was a professor at the University at Albany and an environmental advocate.  During his ownership of the land, Rienow turned farm fields (which were called Hollyhock Hollow Farm) into thriving woods full of life.  

Spring at Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary in upstate New York
The exposed geology along the trail.

Leona, his wife, was a children’s book author, and together, the two wrote A Moment in the Sun, which may have actually inspired the very first Earth Day in 1970.  Hollyhock actually served as the headquarters for Audubon International until 2013, when it moved to the other side of the Hudson River.

Spring at Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary in upstate New York
A mallard duck stops by for a quick bath and some relaxation at the Onesquethaw Creek.

This dog-free sanctuary (directly expressed by the original owners of the land) provides visitors with a chance to get close to nature without too much disturbance.  The Onesquathaw Creek is located south of Rarick Road and a trail allows visitors to walk beside the creek.  If you look carefully, you can spot signs along the trails giving visitors some interesting information.

Spring at Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary in upstate New York
The Creek Trail follows Onesquethaw Creek.
Spring at Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary in upstate New York
Signs like this one here pointing out a stone wall tell a little bit about the local history.

Hiking

There are five main trails throughout the sanctuary that connect into a network of paths.  The trails are broken down into colors with adorable matching names (who doesn’t want to hike along a trail with the name of Chickadee?).  The Audubon is the main trail with red blazes that takes you from one end of the preserve to the other before looping back around.  This is the one we decided to walk along to help familiarize ourselves with this spot.  Smaller trails can easily be added onto your walk to see more of the preserve and get your legs moving.

Spring at Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary in upstate New York
Our little one can now hike along with us on his own two feet!

Where is it Located?

Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary is located at 46 Rarick Road in Selkirk, New York.  The parking area and one of the trails are located on the south side of Rarick Road and all of the other trails and the bulk of the preserve are located on the north side of the road.

Map

A map can be downloaded from the Appalachian Mountain Club, Mohawk Hudson Chapter’s website here.

Spring at Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary in upstate New York
Our mapped hike at the Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary using the Alltrails app.

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