Ulster Landing Park

Ulster Landing Road, off Route 32, Ulster Landing, Ulster County, New York

Directions:

Take Route 32 south through Glasco; turn left onto Ulster Landing Road, Route 37,  (just south of green mileage marker 3056).  Driving 0.7 of a mile down the road brings you to a free parking lot with a trail head leading into the heart of Ulster Landing Park; about 0.1 of a mile farther down from the trail head parking lot is the official entrance to the park.  Admission charged: $2.50 or now perhaps more.

OR.

Saw Mill River Parkway to the Taconic County Parkway north to the exit for Route 199; turn left and follow the road through the Village of Red Hook.  Heading toward Barrytown turn left onto Route 103 (River Road) south.  Turn right onto Route 199 west  heading over the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge spanning the Hudson River.  Get off at the exit for Route 32 heading North. Turn right onto the second appearance of the semi-circular Ulster Landing Road.  Follow the directions above.

The area north of Ulster Landing Park running to the Ulster/Green County Line is a Scenic Area of State Significance. The state of New York has recently acquired 90 acres of land at Turkey Point (Turkey Point State Park).  Scenic Hudson has purchased land between Turkey Point and Ulster Landing Park to provide linkage between the two areas.

Off the shoreline is the wooded Cruger Island.

Facilities:

swimming, beach, volleyball, horseshoes, bocce ball, biking, hiking, picnicking, pavilion

Trails:

There is a paved road leading through the park to the basketball parking lot and down to the "beach" parking area where a lifeguard watches over the swimmers.   From the free parking area along Ulster Landing Road there is a blue trail that leads down to the the basketball court/parking area and from there down to the Hudson River and to the beach.  From the junction of the blue trail with the Hudson River in the northeastern corner of the Park, state trails lead the hiker north to Turkey Point. There are other trails (such as the Yellow Trail) that head southeast down to the southeastern sections of the Park. 

8/27/04.  This was more botany in car than on foot.  Identified a few species while following the pave roads into different parts of the park.  Only got out a few times to verify a few iffy species.  In the morning we had visited Bristol Beach and Saugerties Lighthouse and now my son and I were pacing ourselves, because I wanted to also see Esopus Meadows before we left for home. 

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* = plant found in bloom  on day of field trip, August 27, 2004

Trees:
Acer pensylvanicum (goose-foot maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven)
Catalpa sp. (catalpa)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Morus alba (white mulberry)
Picea abies (Norway spruce)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Ulmus americana (American elm)

Shrubs and sub-shrubs:
Ligustrum sp. (privet)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honey suckle)
Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)
Rubus sp. (dewberry)

Vines:
Calystegia sepium (hedge bindweed) *
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Polygonum scandens (climbing hempweed)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis sp. (grape)

Herbs:
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)
Anagallis arvensis (scarlet pimpernel) *
Bidens frondosa (beggar tick) *
Centaurea maculosa (Pinus strobus (white pine)
Chelidonium majus (celandine) *
Chenopodium album (pigweed)
Cichorium intybus (chicory) *
Commelina communis (Asiatic dayflower)
Conyza canadensis (horseweed) *
Erigeron annuus (daisy fleabane) *
Eupatorium rugosum (white snakeroot) *
Euthamia graminifolia (grass-leaved goldenrod) *
Hackelia virginiana (Virginia stickseed)
Hemerocallis fulva (tawny day lily)
Hypericum perforatum or punctatum (St. Johnswort)
Impatiens pallida (yellow jewelweed) *
Lactuca biennis (tall blue lettuce)
Lactuca canadensis (wild lettuce)
Leonurus cardiaca (motherwort)
Linaria vulgaris (butter and eggs) *
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) *
Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose) *
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel) *
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed) *
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum pensylvanicum (Pennsylvania smartweed) *
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal) *
Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black-eyed Susan) *
Solidago spp. (goldenrod) *
Trifolium pratense (red clover) *
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein)
Verbena urticifolia (white vervain) *

Grasses:
Cenchrus sp. (sandbur)
Elymus virginicus (Virginia wild rye grass)
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass)
Panicum sp. (fluffy headed panic grass)
Setaria faberi (nodding foxtail grass)
Setaria glauca (yellow foxtail grass)