Farm Lane Trail

Length: 1.8 miles (3.6 miles round-trip)

Difficulty: Easy

Blaze: Green and white Hyde Park Trail Marker

Trailhead Location: Trailheads are located at Route 9 opposite the main entrance to the Home of FDR, and at Route 9G opposite the main entrance to Val-Kill. Limited parking available.

Terrain: The surface is gravel and the route is smooth but with some steep hills and curves.

Summary: The trail passes through a variety of upland and wetland habitats, including a bridge over the Maritje Kill. The lane is blazed with the green-and-white Hyde Park Trail markers. Permitted uses included hiking, bicycling (March through November only), cross-county skiing and snowshoeing.

History: Roosevelt Farm Lane is part of the historic road network that connected the Roosevelt Home, Val-Kill, Top Cottage, the Home Farm, and FDR’s tree plantations. From the 19th century through 1945, the flat, fertile lands along the Albany Post Road (Route 9) and Violet Avenue (Route 9G) were used for growing crops, while the rugged, rocky and wet interior was only suitable for growing trees. The Roosevelt family farm, known as the “Home Farm,” stretched along the east side of Route 9 from the current site of the Hyde Park Drive-In Theater south for nearly a mile. To the east along Route 9G, FDR leased land to a series of farmers, most notable Moses Smith. The interior of the land was heavily planted with trees by FDR—Norway spruce, tulip-poplar, white pine and red pine to name a few. FDR planted over 21 acres of trees between 1912 and 1944. After FDR’s death in 1945, the property was subdivided, with some of the land along Route 9 developed for commercial use. But the core of the land has mostly remained in its natural state to the present day. After being acquired by the Scenic Hudson Land Trust Inc. in 2001, the land was transferred to the National Park Service in 2007.

Trail Intersections: There are three additional trails, marked with paint blazes. These are more traditional trails and the footing can be uneven; please use caution and wear appropriate footwear for the season. Stay on the marked trails.

• The White Trail starts about 0.2 miles from the Route 9 trailhead and is 0.7 miles long. It passes three historic tree plantations, parallels the Maritje Kill and ends at the Yellow Trail.

• The 0.8 mile-long Yellow Trail begins about a half mile from the Route 9 trailhead. It travels east along a road historically called Newbold Road for 0.4 miles before turning south and plunging into native forest for another 0.4 mile. It connects back to the Roosevelt Farm Lane about 0.3 miles west of the Route 9G trailhead.

• The short Blue Trail leads for 0.2 miles between Roosevelt Farm Lane and the Yellow Trail.

Trail map available here.

Rules & Regulations

• Safety first!

• Trail is open daily sunrise to sunset.

• Bikes permitted March through November only. 

• Bikes must yield to pedestrians. Keep right except to pass. Sound a warning before passing.

• Garbage cans are not available. This is a Carry In,Carry Out trail.

• Stay on marked trails only.

• Hunting, trapping, or possession of firearms prohibited.

• No Fires, camping, or swimming.

• Pets must be leashed; You must clean up after your pet.

• Removal or disturbance of flora, fauna, or cultural resources is strictly prohibited.

• Motorized vehicles prohibited.

In Case of Emergency Call 911

Report Safety & Security Issues to [phone]
Report Trail Maintenance Issues to [phone]

Details

Duration

1-2 Hours

Activity

Hiking

Pets Allowed

Yes

Activity Fee

No

Entrance fees may apply, see Fees & Passes information.

Location

Farm Lane Trail

Reservations

No

Season

Year Round

Time of Day

Day

The Hyde Park Explorer Podcast

Enjoy these episodes of the Hyde Park Explorer podcast series as you walk the trails.

• Thomas Newbold Land

  
  

  Newbold Road, named after land owner Thomas Newbold, was built on Roosevelt land so Newbold could access his farmland from his estate, Bellefield. This road was one of several that connected different areas of the Roosevelt property.

  Credit / Author:

  National Park Service

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

  Audio Transcript

  Welcome to the Hyde Park Explorer. Roosevelt Farm Lane Trail. Thomas Newbold Land.

  Newbold Road, named after land owner Thomas Newbold, was built on Roosevelt land so Newbold could access his farmland from his estate, Bellefield.

  This road was one of several that connected different areas of the Roosevelt property.

  As you travel this trail, you’ll see several historic features, including the remnants of some of FDR’s tree plantations. From the 1900s to the 1950s this was a productive plantation, filled with Norway spruce, white pine and red pine, and the President’s favorite, the tulip poplar, also known as tulip tree or yellow-poplar.

  Woodlands cover what once were once productive agricultural fields. Crops of hay and grain and vegetables, and mangelwurzel, a large beet used to feed cattle, were grown here.

  Had you driven on Route 9, the Albany Post Road during FDR’s lifetime, a much different landscape would greet you compared to the commercial and residential development today. Shaded by large sycamore trees and lined with stone walls, the Post Road was flanked by farmland extending 1,000 feet or more. About a half-mile south of this spot was the Roosevelt’s “Home Farm” which supplied all the basic necessities of the estate, including milk, cream, butter, eggs, chicken, and potatoes. Closer to the Roosevelt house on the other side of the Post Road was the “Home Garden”, which supplied vegetables, fruit, and honey.

• FDR's Favorite Tree

  
  

  The tulip poplar, often identified by FDR as his favorite tree, is a tall member of the magnolia family--one of the tallest North American hardwood trees.

  Credit / Author:

  National Park Service

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

  Audio Transcript

  Roosevelt Farm Lane Trail. FDR’s Favorite Tree.

  FDR: “There is nothing in nature I am as fond of as a tree.”

  You’re standing near a tulip poplar tree, the species FDR often said was his favorite tree.

  The tulip poplar is a tall member of the magnolia family--one of the tallest North American hardwood trees. It grows on moist fertile soils in the eastern U.S. from the Gulf Coast to southern New England. It earned its name from the large tulip-shaped flowers that grow high in the tree canopy. The fast-growing tulip poplar can reach heights of 150 feet. This hardy tree took to the Hyde Park environment, and many of FDR’s plantings thrive in these woods to this day.

  If the tulip poplar leaf looks familiar to you, it’s because the Hyde Park Trail System has adopted its leaf as its official logo--a fitting tribute to Hyde Park’s most famous friend of the forest.

• Road to Rogers

  
  

  Known as the Road to Rogers, this road led to the former estate of Colonel Archibald Rogers, friend, neighbor, and forestry mentor to FDR. The Roosevelts’ property shared a long boundary with the Rogers estate, and Rogers’ children were FDR’s boyhood playmates.

  Credit / Author:

  National Park Service

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

  Audio Transcript

  Roosevelt Farm Lane Trail. The Road to Rogers.

  Known as the “Road to Rogers”, the trail to the left led to the former estate of Colonel Archibald Rogers, friend, neighbor, and forestry mentor to FDR. The Roosevelts’ property shared a long boundary with the Rogers estate, and Rogers’ children were FDR’s boyhood playmates.

  Part of the Rogers estate is now a nature preserve owned by the Winnakee Land Trust.

  Looking straight ahead, you will see a pine plantation that FDR planted between 1924 and 1926. About 35 acres of FDR-era tree plantations are in the process of being inventoried by foresters from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Their report will be the foundation of a forest management plan that will allow the National Park Service to be good stewards of the legacy in trees left by FDR.

• Maritje Kill Bridge

  
  

  The Maritje Kill bridge was really the main conduit between the big house and Val Kill, and later on Top Cottage.

  Credit / Author:

  National Park Service

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

  Audio Transcript

  Roosevelt Farm Lane Trail. Maritje Kill Bridge.

  This small, flowing stream, named Maritje Kill, winds its way through the Hyde Park woodland, eventually emptying into the Hudson River.

  Spanning the stream, beneath the road you’re standing upon, is a historic bridge. Dave Hayes, of the National Park Service, explains…

  The Maritje Kill was the eastern boundary of the lands owned by FDR’s father, James Roosevelt. In 1911 FDR bought the land on the other side of the creek so that his land stretched all the way to Val Kill from the big house on the river. We know that in about 1925 or so, FDR decided that they needed to be able to get from one side to the other so a new bridge was built.

  This bridge was really the main conduit between the big house and Val Kill and later on Top Cottage. All the farm workers would go back and forth, the staff, FDR in his hand-operated car, the Secret Service the Military Police--everything went across this bridge. And in 2008 we built a new bridge over the top of the historic bridge. So if you’re standing on the bridge today--if you lean out over the railing, look down over the creek--you see these chunks of concrete down there--that’s the original historic bridge that wasn’t touched during the construction--it was just bridged right over the top of.

  As one of the newest trails in the Hyde Park Trail system, historians and naturalists will continue to share their discoveries about the Roosevelt Farm Road.

• Pursuing the President

  
  

  Whenever the President sought solitude, he would retreat to his Hyde Park woods, the car connecting him to the trees he loved.

  Credit / Author:

  National Park Service

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

  Audio Transcript

  Roosevelt Farm Lane Trail. Pursuing the President.

  It was easy to get lost on the Roosevelt Farm Roads, which is exactly what the President had in mind as he led the Secret Service escorts there every chance he could, to elude their perpetual vigilance!

  Off he would go, deftly navigating down single tracks—taking you and the security force in full pursuit, only to lose him, leaving FDR free to enjoy the tranquility of his plantation in private.

  These roads were constructed in such a way that FDR could travel deep into the woods to observe the work being done to maintain his plantations. He drove a specially-designed automobile that was outfitted with hand controls for ease of operation. Here to tell you more are Franceska Urbin and Dave Hayes from the National Park Service.

  FDRs car was a 1936 Ford Phaeton. It was a dark blue color, and it had hand controls–because after the polio, obviously he couldn’t use his legs. It had levers on the left that he used to control the clutch, and the pedal and the brake—and he also had a very unique feature which was, on the right side of the steering column there was a little box that gave him a lighted cigarette—it just popped out a lighted cigarette whenever he needed it–which is a very, very unique feature.

  FDR was not known as a particularly cautious or careful driver, and he knew these roads like the back of his hand. He’d grown up on this property, he explored all the woods here so he was very familiar with it, and driving through with his car he was often known for trying to elude the Secret Service who of course had to stay with him at all times. And this hairpin curve was probably a good place to try to lose them! It was a game.

  I’m sure that he was thrilled that finally he was free to go out on his own, whenever he wanted and he loved it—so he was out in that car every day of his life—in some way, shape or form, he would be going somewhere.

  FDR’s car, his Ford, can be seen in the Presidential Library Museum in Hyde Park, just adjacent to the Roosevelt Home.

  Whenever the President sought solitude, he would retreat to his Hyde Park woods, the car connecting him to the trees he loved. The restorative power of nature—the forests of pine and their wildlife—rekindled his spirit, and rejuvenated him to face the very public life he was forced to lead.

• Salamander Crossing

  
  

  If you come out here the first rainy night of March, you might get a chance to witness the salamander migration.

  Credit / Author:

  National Park Service

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

  Audio Transcript

  Roosevelt Farm Lane Trail. Salamander Crossing.

  In times of heavy rain, you may find the trails becoming a little muddy. While other construction plans might have called for elevating the road, this one was intentionally built low enough to benefit wildlife. The low, flat road surface makes it easier for salamanders to migrate from their usual underground habitat to breeding pools.

  The salamander migration is an eagerly anticipated event for National Park Service Natural Resource Manager Dave Hayes.

  If you come out here the first rainy night of March, you might get a chance to witness the salamander migration. This is the time when salamanders that normally spend their whole lives underground, like the Jefferson salamander, or the Spotted salamander – they will emerge from their underground lairs and they will migrate to vernal ponds - small temporary ponds, to lay their eggs. And they may be there by the hundreds, possibly even the thousands.

  In places where the trail crosses over wetlands you’ll find culverts. These are the covered channels that carry water under the road. The salamanders travel through them, using them to bypass the road and connect with other wetland areas.

  Here in this suburbanized area, you’ll find a surprising variety of wildlife. Dave Hayes mentions one noteworthy sighting.

  Recently the most uncommon thing we’ve seen on this property is the fisher, which is a very large member of the weasel family, and which has only recently repopulated the Hyde Park area. Fishers are very hard to see—but they are very impressive predators and carnivores—they have very impressive set of teeth, really claws: they are about the size of a small dog. They’re no danger to people, though, they’re very seldom seen. So they’re out there—you know they’re there—but they’re really hard to see.

  The property that you’re walking through today is very lucky, in that is has been essentially undisturbed, with the exception of some logging activity over the decades, but because it has not been developed in any way, the wetlands that are here and the forests are in remarkably good condition—considering that it is surrounded by a rapidly developing suburban and urban area.

• Forestry and FDR

  
  

  The President’s love of trees included his appreciation for their commercial potential.

  Credit / Author:

  National Park Service

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

  Audio Transcript

  Roosevelt Farm Lane Trail. Forestry and FDR

  “I thought of making a speech on a subject that is very close to my heart, because I will make a little money on it…this is a dissertation to the public on the planting and raising and selling of Christmas trees.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

  Imagine celebrating Christmas around a tree grown by the President of the United States! This stand of Norway spruce is one of the plantations where FDR raised and harvested Christmas trees, trees that he sold for a handsome profit! You’re here among the remnants of the plantation he first began in 1926. Along with Norway Spruce, the President also experimented with Canadian white spruce, and balsam fir.

  It’s interesting to note that in his lifetime, FDR planted over a half million trees on his land!

  The President’s love of trees included his appreciation for their commercial potential. FDR sent letters to famous New York department stores, including Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s, to buy his trees. Before cutting, his Christmas trees had to meet these specifications: three to seven feet in height, cone shaped, and bushy to support a good load of ornaments. They were priced from fifty cents to three dollars.

  One holiday season netted FDR four hundred dollars in profit, a sum that pleased him greatly! Yet, not all cut trees were sold. The President’s archives include correspondence from 1943 about gifting trees to notable foreign dignitaries.

  “…one to be shipped to the Crown Princess of Norway; and one for Prime Minister Winston Churchill, on which I will give you shipping directions later…find out what is the latest date that I can deliver a Christmas tree for Winston Churchill and send it over by a bomber or otherwise in order to reach him in Chequers, England, before Christmas…”

• From Farm to Forest

  
  

  During his frequent visits to Hyde Park, FDR would seek out Moses Smith to discuss politics. Smith became the President’s “everyman” and sounding board: If Smith understood, so would the American public.

  Credit / Author:

  National Park Service

  Date created:

  10/14/2020

  Audio Transcript

  Roosevelt Farm Lane Trail. From Farm to Forest

  In 1911, FDR purchased this plot of land, the Bennett Farm. With the purchase of these 194 acres, FDR was able to freely conduct his forestry experiments, and offered himself an opportunity to become the “gentleman farmer” he longed to be – one who would manage the estate through a superintendent.

  Under his direction, FDR’s farm crew cleared land that was overgrown and unproductive, preparing it to support five thousand tree seedlings – the first of over half a million planted in his lifetime! Trees, he reasoned, were a crop as much as anything else.

  As is common practice, land is often purchased and leased back to others. FDR leased a small section to Eleanor. It is the site of Val Kill and Stone Cottage. He also leased this portion of the farm to Hyde Park local Moses Smith, who in 1920 became his first tenant farmer.

  FDR allowed Smith full operational control over his rental farm. Smith grew corn, strawberries, asparagus and other small crops on his 140 acres, and raised dairy cows. And while Roosevelt’s managerial approach was appreciated, there were times when Smith needed FDR’s financial intervention to maintain the aging farmhouse, which dated back to the late 1700s. It was Mrs. Smith who petitioned Roosevelt, the landlord, in a kind, but firm letter, to help with major home repairs. The repairs were made.

  During his frequent visits to Hyde Park, the President would seek out Moses Smith to discuss politics. Smith became the President’s “everyman” and sounding board: If Smith understood the concepts and ideas he was trying to convey, so, too would the American public.

  In a 1948 interview, Moses Smith describes the content of one conversation, where the President expressed concern over the dire circumstances of their elderly Hyde Park neighbors, who had lost their farm…

  “…and upon his return back to Hyde Park he found out that one brother had died or frozen to death between the barn and the house on his way back from milking the cows, and the elderly brother was in the poor house which he described as the kid sister, she was 82, she was in the asylum, so he told me, he said: “Moses, this thing can’t go on, I’m going to plan someway or somehow to put over an old age security that the poor house in time with actually be done away with.”

  “You feel that that was probably the beginning of his thoughts on the Social Security System that went into effect?”

  “I do. I believe that that very move originated in, or in my way of speaking, was born right here in the town of Hyde Park.”