Rome Sand Plains Hiking
Rome Sand Plains is one of only a handful of inland pine barrens in the nation, encompassing approximately 16,000 acres within the City of Rome, New York. This natural resource treasure consists of high sand dunes and low peat bogs, along with pine barrens and hardwood forests, meadows and wetlands.
The sand plains are a favorite visiting location for nature lovers from all over. The unique bird life, butterflies and plants make it a field trip stop for high school and college classes, birdwatching groups and other outdoor enthusiasts.
DEC began purchasing lands in at the Sand Plains in the 1980’s, working with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to acquire and protect critical parcels. In addition to individual parcels owned by DEC and TNC, the Izaak Walton League, Oneida County and the City of Rome also own property in the Sand Plains. These five organizations own approximately 4000 acres within the Sand Plains.
Wood Creek Trail
Follow this gentle one-half mile trail along the crest of a towering dune to the banks of historic Wood Creek. The trail begins off a small parking lot on Hogsback Road. Visitors here are greeted by two informational signs which describe the geological formation of the sand dunes and the history of the east-west navigation on Wood Creek. Be sure to sign in at the trail register.
The first part of the trail cuts through an open sandy area with scattered pitch pines and barren openings of moss and lichens. One of the projects the Management Team and local colleges have undertaken in this area is the reestablishment of blue lupines. A lucky May visitor can see these beautiful flowers which are essential to the survival of the endangered frosted elfin butterfly.
Then the trail winds through a variety of forest cover types. There are tall white pine, hemlock and oak on the trail where it cuts along the side of this outstanding example of a ancient sand dune. The trail then drops down to the shrubby flood plain of Wood Creek.
Sand Dune Trail
This trail starts at a former sand mining pit. Note what a sand dune looks like in cross-section – gently sloping windward side and steeply sloping leeward side. Follow the trail along old wood roads and logging paths for a walk on the dune. The pitch pines and other vegetation keep the sand dune stable against prevailing westerly winds. On the back side of the dune it drops sharply off into forested wetlands. – NYS DEC
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