17 acres hosted by Judith A K.
1 lodging site
Off-leash friendly
Pets can be off-leash at this Hipcamp.
This 17-acre site has diverse habitats, from an upland pine and hardwood forest to wild native meadows full of blueberries, asters and milkweed. The most special feature is a large tributary and creek waterway system with areas of wetland. Once choked with invasive plants, it is now a largely restored native plant and wildlife habitat that supports migrating herons, trout, amphibians and clouds of Monarch and other butterflies. In the fall I've seen them circle up in vortexes from the meadows and take off on their migration. There are several large swimming holes where the creek turns or joins with its tributary. Bridges have been installed over the tributary and over brooklets feeding into it.
A lot of care and love is going into this land. Over 500 native trees planted along the creek banks are growing into a forest - you'll see many still in protective tubes and cages. Thousands of native pollinator ground-plants have been planted or sprung up on their own, some like tiny flowering gems on the shady forest floors.
The old stone walls running through the property and around its boundaries speak to its history as a farm and an apple orchard. Swimming, hiking, fishing and bird-and-wildlife watching will fascinate you in this dynamic landscape that is constantly coming closer to what used to exist hundreds of years ago and is now reestablishing itself.This is a 17-acre property with different habitats on it - creeks, woods, wetlands and meadows. Home base is a huge, cream-colored canvas tent in a witch hazel grove in the midst of a woods. The tent has screened windows and doors and a spacious white tarp over it for extra rain and weather protection. The tarp extends over the back of the tent. The inside is light and airy. It also has a sheltered front porch. Inside is a double bed with an extra mattress that can go on the floor. It will easily hold 4-5 people, 6 with a little arranging. Access to the site is down a grassy driveway, then a short dirt road through the woods. There is room for several cars at the end of the driveway and also at the campsite. A classic wood-shingle outhouse with a composting toilet (with a half-moon on the door), and firepit are on-site. I have an outdoor, private hot-water shower/sink/mirror set up behind my house - a minute's drive around the corner from the campsite. You can take drinking water from the sink or, if you bring a Brita filter-system dispenser, directly from the creek, which has a Class A drinking water classification. Continuing down the dirt road from the tent you will shortly come to a meadow and a large tributary creek, called the Red Brook, named after the color of the leaves of a nearby grove of sugar maples which fall into it in the autumn. The entire property is being restored as a native plant and wildlife habitat. You will see many protected new trees and marked native pollinator plants along the creek and in the meadow. You can follow the Red Brook to where it joins the much larger Mettacahonts Creek, where you'll find a swimming hole, or cross over a bridge into another meadow, or meander into the grassy borders of the Mettacahonts Creek. There are further woodlands, wetlands and swimming holes to explore. It is a native plant and bird sanctuary. The site is level, only the west side pine forest rises slightly above the bed of the Mettacahonts. Boundaries are clearly marked. Off-site, if you wish to see the local waterfall, the Vernooy Falls, you can drive up past my house onto Trails End Road and into the Catskill State Park. Park at the end, then follow the trail to the falls, it's a gorgeous, slightly uphill hike. For any shopping, dining and amenities, you're near Stone Ridge, which has great dining, antiquing, and small-town charm. Or you can go to Ellenville, which has a theater. a crystal and antiques shops and many new restaurants.
