Stewart State Forest (New York State Department of Conservation)
Ridge Road, New Windsor, Orange County, NY
5,264 acres

A wildlife management area with semi-paved lanes for walking, running, mountain biking, horseback riding, and bird watching. Hunting permitted.

Directions:

From Rt. 17K west heading to the town of Montgomery shortly past the historical marker for the Site of Cobden Mansion (just before Stone Castle Road on the right) turn left onto Ridge Road and head over US 84 on a bridge; park in the parking area on the left.

There is another parking area off Rt. 207 north near green mileage marker 11:19 on the left (heading north it is just before Sho Gee Ct. Private Road).

History:

Historical marker along Rt. 207: 1798 Clinton House. Built by General James Clinton, commander of New York troops during the Revolutionary War, presided at surrender of Yorktown 1781. Town Clerk and Supervisor of New Windsor, died here December 22, 1812.

Historical marker along Rt. 17K, just east of Stone Castle Road. Site of Colden Mansion. Built of stone in 1767 by Cadwallader Colden, Jr. Estate established 1727; area since, Coldenham.

These lands were once part of the Stewart Air Force Base and Airport.  Stewart Field was used for many years to train pilots and became a part of the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command.

1969  -- the base closed.

early 1990s  --  Stewart International Airport opened.

Trails:

I walked east on Maple Avenue for a short while and then took an obvious trail up onto the top of an elevated ridge. For virtually the entire trail, the walker is on a ridge and on the right (east side) is a huge marsh that accompanies the ridge. The start of the walk consists of abandoned fields. Then the walker goes into woods going down and then back up the ridge. I passed two small ponds. The trail goes through a big clump of Japanese knotweed. Then the trail starts to become very rutted because of the activities of the mountain bikes. There are many deep ruts and when I was there, there, there, there was a lot of mini-ponds on the trail. Got tired of seeing the same type of vegetation and turned around and returned the way I came.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney, May 6, 2002 (* = plants found in bloom)

Trees:
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven)
Amelanchier arborea (shadbush)
Betula populifolia (gray birch)
Carpinus caroliniana (musclewood)
Cornus florida (flowering dogwood) *
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Fraxinus pensylvanica (green ash)?
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Ostrya virginiana (American hop hornbeam)
Picea abies (Norway spruce)
Populus deltoides (cottonwood)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Pyrus malus (apple) *
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust)
Ulmus americana (American elm)

Shrubs and sub-shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry) *
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood)
Decodon verticillata (swamp loosestrife)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)
Mitchella repens (partridgeberry)
Prunus virginiana (chokecherry)? *
Rhododendron viscosum (swamp azalea)
Rhus sp. (sumac)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)
Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry) *
Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood viburnum)
Viburnum lentago (sweet viburnum)
Viburnum prunifolium (blackhaw viburnum) *

Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet )
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis labrusca (fox grape)

Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (yarrow)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) *
Allium vineale (field garlic)
Apocynum cannabinum (Indian hemp)
Arisaema triphyllum (jack in the pulpit)
Asclepias verticillata (whorled milkweed)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Barbarea vulgaris (common wintercress) *
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace)
Euphorbia esula (leafy spurge)
Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry) *
Galium aparine (cleavers)
Galium sp. (11 in whorl, no prickles)
Geranium maculatum (wild geranium) *
Geum canadense (white avens)
Glechoma hederacea (gill over the ground)
Lepidium campestre (field peppergrass)
Lespedeza striata (Japanese bush clover)?
Linaria vulgaris (butter and eggs)
Lysimachia palustris (marsh purslane)
Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower)
Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot)
Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose)
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed)
Potentilla canadensis (dwarf cinquefoil) *
Ranunculus abortivus (kidney-leaf crowfoot) *
Ranunculus recurvatus (hooked crowfoot)
Rumex acetosella (sheep sorrel)
Smilacina racemosa (false Solomon's seal)
Spirodela polyrhiza (greater duckweed)
Stellaria media (common chickweed) *
Symplocarpus foetidus (skunk cabbage)
Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion) *
Trifolium pratense (red clover)
Verbascum blattaria (moth mullein)
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein)
Veronica officinalis (common speedwell)
Viola sororia (common blue violet) *

Rushes:
Luzula multiflora (wood rush) *

Grasses:
Anthoxanthum odoratum (sweet vernal grass) *
Phragmites australis (giant reed grass)
Poa annua (Kentucky bluegrass) *

Ferns:
Dennstaedtia punctilobula (hay-scented fern)

ALONG WEED ROAD FROM PARKING LOT ON ROUTE 207
6/24/02

Trees:
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven)
Betula populifolia (gray birch)
Carpinus caroliniana (musclewood)
Carya cordiformis (bitternut hickory)
Castanea sp. (chestnut)
Catalpa speciosa (norther catalpa) *
Crataegus sp. (hawthorn)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Fraxinus pensylvanica (green ash)
Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust)
Juglans nigra (black walnut)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Morus alba (white mulberry)
Sorbus americana (mountain ash) *
Picea abies (Norway spruce)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Populus grandidentata (big-toothed aspen)
Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen)
Prunus serotina (black cherry )
Pyrus sp. (crab apple)
Quercus bicolor (swamp white oak)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Rhamnus cathartica (common buckthorn)
Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust)
Salix sp. (willow)
Tilia americana (American basswood)
Ulmus americana (American elm)
Ulmus pumilus (Siberian elm)

Shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood) *
Cornus racemosa (gray stem dogwood) *
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Forsythia sp. (golden bells)
Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel)
Ligustrum sp. (privet) *
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)
Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac)
Rosa carolina (Carolina rose) *
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus sp. (blackberry) *
Sambucus canadensis (common elderberry) *
Syringa sp. (lilac)
Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood viburnum)

Vines:
Campsis radicans (trumpet creeper)
Clematis virginiana (Virgin's bower)
Dioscorea villosa (wild yamroot)
Hedera helix (English ivy)
Lathyrus latifolia (everlasting pea) *
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle) *
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade) *
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vinca minor (periwinkle) 1 in bloom *
Vitis labrusca (fox grape)
Vitis riparia (frost grape)*

Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (yarrow) *
Agrimonia sp. (agrimony)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) *
Centaurea maculosa (spotted knapweed)
Centaurea sp. (hybrid knapweed) *
Chelone alba (white turtlehead)
Chenopodium album (pigweed)
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy) *
Cichorium intybus chicory) *
Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle) *
Cirsium vulgaris (bull thistle)
Coronilla varia (crown vetch)?
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace)
Dianthus armeria (Deptford pink) *
Erigeron annuus (daisy fleabane ) *
Euphorbia cyparissias (cypress spurge)
Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry)
Galium aparine (cleavers)
Galium mollugo (wild madder) *
Geranium maculatum (wild geranium)
Geum canadense (white avens) *
Hemerocallis fulva (tawny day lily) *
Hieracium spp. (hawkweeds) *
Hypericum punctatum (spotted St. Johnswort)
Impatiens capensis (orange jewelweed)
Lactuca canadensis (wild lettuce)
Leonurus cardiaca (motherwort) *
Lepidium virginicum (poor man's pepper) *
Linaria vulgaris (butter and eggs)
Lotus corniculatus (birdfoot trefoil) *
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)
Matricaria matricarioides (pineappleweed) *
Medicago lupulina (black medick) *
Melilotus alba (white sweet clover) *
Melilotus officinalis (yellow sweet clover) *
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel) *
Penstemon digitalis (smooth fox glove) *
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed)
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain) *
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed)
Polygonum virginianum (jumpseed)
Potentilla norvegica (rough cinquefoil) *
Potentilla recta (rough-fruited cinquefoil) *
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal)
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium (narrow-leaved mountain mint)
Ranunculus acris (tall buttercup) *
Rumex obtusifolius (broad dock)
Silene alba (white campion) *
Silene vulgaris (bladder campion) *
Sisymbrium officinale (hedge mustard) *
Smilacina racemosa (false Solomon's seal)
Stellaria graminea (lesser stitchwort) *
Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion) *
Thlaspi perfoliata (thoroughwort pennycress)
Tragopogon pratensis (goatsbeard) *
Trifolium aureum (yellow clover) *
Trifolium hybridum (alsike clover) *
Trifolium pratense (red clover) *
Trifolium repens (white clover) *
Urtica dioica v. procera (tall stinging nettle)
Verbascum blattaria (moth mullein) *
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein)
Veronica officinalis (common speedwell)
Zea mays (corn) in corn field

Rushes:
Juncus effusus (soft rush)
Juncus tenuis (path rush)

Sedges:
Carex lurida (sedge)
Carex stipata (sedge)
Carex stricta (tussock sedge)
Carex vulpinoidea (sedge)

Grasses:
Bromus japonicus? (Japanese brome grass)
Bromus tectorum (downy chess brome grass)
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Elytrigia repens (quack grass)
Phalaris arundinacea (canary reed grass)
Phleum pratense (timothy grass)
Phragmites australis (giant reed grass)

Ferns:
Dryopteris marginalis (marginal woodfern)
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)
Osmunda cinnamomea (cinnamon fern)
Thelypteris palustris (marsh fern)