Points of Interest

Granite Knolls Park
The site of small scale quarry operations, Granite Knolls Park boasts a large glacier erractic aka the Giant Boulder. Almost house size, the Giant Boulder sits among pieces of rock split from its side. Along the ridge of the knoll are additional large rocks, not yet quarried. Other evidence of quarry operations are scattered through out the park included quarry pits, cables, and an old gear. The park is also former farmland.

A visitor to Granite Knolls will quickly notice there are two types of trails: woods roads and narrow windy trails. The latter with their undulating route will delight skilled mountain bikers. Hikers can use those same trails to visit many small quarries and traverse the top of the knoll which gives the park its name. Detailed Trail Info & Free Trail Map>

Currently there is no parking at the park. The shortest access is from Woodlands Legacy Field Park (see below). Take the Taconic Bridge Trail (pink) over the parkway from the ballfields parking lot, 0.2 mile. It is also accessible from the Yorktown Trailway. Enter at the end of Buckhorn Street in Shrub Oak and walk south one mile to the Taconic Bridge Trail. Follow the pink blazes into the park.

Location: East side of Stony Street, Shrub Oak, NY 10588

Hilltop Hanover Farm & Environmental Center
Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center is a working farm and environmental educational center located in Yorktown Heights, NY. Westchester County purchased the 187-acre former dairy farm in 2003. The farm will be used for agricultural preservation, drinking water protection, and the promotion of environmental stewardship through demonstration projects and sustainability programs.

Westchester County's Hilltop Hanover Farm is a regional education center that offers programs on healthy and sustainable food production. This involves researching and teaching skills for small-scale suburban and urban farming techniques, and illustrating sustainable living practices such as alternative energy sources for the residents of Westchester County. Visit the farm website at: www.hilltophanoverfarm.org for more information on visiting and events.

Location: 1271 Hanover Street, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, Phone: (914) 962-2368.

Kitchawan Preserve
Until 1989, this area between Route 134 and the Croton Reservoir was part of the Kitchawan Research Station of the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and has since been acquired as Westchester County parkland. Over six miles of trails offer unparalleled views of the reservoir and surrounding hills and link to the North County Trailway.  The Teatown-Kitchawan Trail, known as the TKT, is a new 6.5-mile hiking trail that links several parks and trails: Westchester County’s North County Trailway, Kitchawan Preserve and John E. Hand Park at Bald Mountain in Yorktown, and Croton Gorge in the Town of Cortlandt. The trail also connects with the New York State-owned Old Croton Aqueduct Trailway, and with Teatown Lake Reservation and its system of 15 miles of trails, and traverses lands controlled by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection.  Map of the Trail.  More information.

Location: Location: Taconic Parkway, Route 134 EAST, approximately 1.5 miles.

Location: Approximately 5.5 miles of the North County Trailway are in the Town of Yorktown. The Trailway enters Town along the Route 100 corridor south of Kitchwan, where there is parking access, crosses the New Croton Reservoir and then crosses Route 118 where there is also parking access. The Trailway continues along Route 118 north into the center of Yorktown Heights with two parking areas along Underhill Avenue near Town Hall. Continuing through Railroad Park, the Trailway turns northeast and leaves town at the Trailway crossing with Route 202. A detailed map of the Trailway showing all access and parking areas is available from the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation at (914) 242-PARK.

To the south, the trailway connects to the South County Trailway, which is another 14.1 miles, south from Eastview to the Bronx border.  To the north, the trailway connects to the Putnam Trailway, which consists of 11.85 miles, north from Somers to Brewster.  Only the last section from Putnam Ave to North Main Street in Brewster is incomplete.

North County Trailway - Brochure & Map
South County Trailway - Brochure & Map
Putnam Trailway - Brochure & Map

Woodlands Legacy Fields Park

For years the undeveloped open space known as Woodlands was used by nearby residents comfortable in walking along unmarked trails. Owned by the Town of Yorktown in Westchester County, NY, the park is located on the east side of the Taconic Parkway and connects two pieces of Strang Boulevard. Hunter Brook, a trout stream which crosses the park was likely the reason that houses were not built and the land became parkland.

The Legacy projects of Westchester County provided funding for the town to build additional ball fields. The park was renamed to recognize the existance of the fields and the project.

Taking note of the umarked trails in Woodlands, the New York-New Jersy Trail Conference and Westchester Mountain Biking Association embarked on a joint project with the Town of Yorkown in 2010. Volunteers built new trails, blazed all of them, and built a bridge across Hunter Brook. The trails connect to the Legacy Fields and to the pedestrian bridge over the Taconic.  Detailed Trail Info & Free Trail Map>

Location: From Taconic State Parkway, take the Route 202 exit and turn east. Go 0.7 mile to the traffic light at Route 132 and turn left. Go 1.4 miles and turn left onto Strang Boulevard. Woodlands Legacy Fields Park is located at the end of road. The park is only accessible when the ball fields are being used.