5. Lost Pond at Manitoga Preserve

Distance:	Dayhike
Difficulty :	Easy for children
Distance :	1.8 miles, loop
Hiking time :	1.5 hours
High point/elevation gain :	470 feet, 250 feet
Hikable :	March-December
Map :	NY-NJ Trail Conference Map 1

Lost Pond is not as elusive as it sounds. In fact, even a preschooler can follow the picture markers that lead the way (a deer track, a pine branch, and rippling water for the Deer Run, White Pine, and Lost Pond Trails, respectively). After 1 mile of easy walking (punctuated by rocky climbs, brook crossings, and trail junctions), you find the wild pond, cradled by ledge and chock-full of turtles, frogs, and fish. This pleasant, 1.8-mile trip is even more appealing because it's a loop: you don't cover the same territory twice.

Manitoga (an Algonquin word meaning "Place of the Great Spirit") is an 80-acre forest garden that was created fifty years ago by the industrial designer Russell Wright. He transformed a barren, heavily quarried property into a lovely, wild garden crossed by brooks and curving paths, enhanced by open meadows, ravines, and sheltered overlooks. Bring binoculars and a guidebook and introduce the kids to birdwatching. Ask the naturalist/caretaker for tips on what species to look for and where you're likely to spot them.

From New York City, take the Thruway (I-87) north to Exit 9 in Tarrytown. Follow US 9 north to Peekskill and turn left onto combined US 6 and US 202 just north of Peekskill, as US 9 continues straight (north). Follow US 6 and US 202 to the Bear Mountain Bridge, but do not cross the bridge. From the junction of US 6, US 202, and NY-9D on the east side of the Bear Mountain Bridge, follow NY-9D north. In 2.5 miles, turn right onto the access road to the Manitoga "Man with Nature" Center. In 0.1 mile, park near the information board.

Before the hike, stop at the guide house to pay the small per- person entrance fee. Heading back toward the parking lot, turn left (southeast), following signs for the Deer Run, White Pine, and Lost Pond Trails. (Each of these trails eventually splits from the others to loop through the preserve, covering distances between 0.8 and 1.8 miles.) Borrow a walking stick from the collection on the left and hike to the edge of Mary's Meadow, where you'll find portable restrooms.

Cut southeastward across the meadow, turning left onto the trailhead at the edge of the woods. Follow the combined trails on a manicured path under a high ceiling of hemlock and fir boughs. Colonists stripped the tannin-rich bark from hemlock trees to use in tanning skins; Native Americans valued the hemlock's astringent properties, and made hemlock tea to apply to wounds to arrest bleeding and to drink as a cure for severe diarrhea. Kids, can you guess what vitamin you absorb by chewing on hemlock needles? (Vitamin C.)

Wind through an area littered with small boulders. Climb a wooded hill along a switchback and crest, cutting through thickets of mountain laurel as you hike eastward. At 0.15 mile, the trail dodges huge boulders dumped by the receding glaciers more than 10,000 years ago. How many of these can the kids scale? As the trail curls northeastward, avoid a cutoff trail that splits right.

Can you hear a distant water sound? The path approaches a cascading brook and crosses to the other side on a wide footbridge. Have a splashing contest; drop acorns, pebbles, pine cones, and twigs from the bridge to see what will make the best splash. Beyond the bridge, the path bends left, briefly hugging the bank of the stream, then curls right. One-quarter mile from the start, bear left (north) to follow a short side trail to Osio Lookout as the multiblazed trail turns right (east). On the edge of a gently sloping ridge, three mammoth boulders gaze westward at the cropped Hudson River view.

Return to the intersection and turn left (east), snaking through a shallow gully near the left bank of the stream. Play "How Is It Like Me?" Pick anything you see—a tree, a mushroom, a squirrel—and ask the kids what that object has in common with them. Does it need water to live? Have a family? Make any noise? Hop from one stepping stone to the next, reaching a junction at 0.35 mile. As the Deer Run Trail turns right (south), continue straight (east) on the combined Lost Pond and White Pine Trails. (If you follow Deer Run for a short distance, you reach a spot where the stream water collects in a wading pool.) Follow more stepping stones and recross the stream 0.1 mile from the Deer Run split. Shortly, the White Pine Trail parts right (south) as you follow the Lost Pond Trail straight (northeast) on a moderate uphill slope. At 0.6 mile, the path curls to track southward under a hemlock canopy. Remember Christmas by rolling a few needles between your fingers and sniffing. Here, you are sweeping near the border of the Hudson Highlands State Park.

At 0.8 mile, a sign points left (south) to the Osborn Loop Trail as you follow the Lost Pond Trail right (southwest). Cross a stream on a course of flat rocks and embark on another ascent. Climb amid oaks and clusters of mountain laurel. (Who can find the most perfect acorn?) One mile into the hike is unassuming Lost Pond. Wild, mossy banks plunge into the clear water of this tiny basin, a wonderful place for searching out frogs and salamanders. Let the kids wander to the far side of the pond, where a jumble of boulders borders the shoreline. Plan to take an extended energy break here; the kids will surely want some time to explore.

At the western edge of the pond, the Lost Pond Trail turns right (west) as the Osborn Loop Trail follows a straight course, eventually connecting with the Appalachian Trail (AT). Continue to follow the Lost Pond Trail, dropping quickly in a series of switchbacks. Let the kids take the lead, stopping to wait for you at the 1.2-mile mark near a tree that clings stubbornly to barren ledge, growing horizontal to the ground.

Turn left (west), guided by a sign for a second Osio Lookout, as the combined AT Connector and Lost Pond Trail splits right (north). Follow acorn symbols along the Chestnut Oak Ridge Loop, curling southward through thickets of laurel and blueberry bushes. Just under 1.5 miles from the start, you reach the sheltered lookout, with fine views of the Hudson highlands—much more dramatic than those from the first Osio Lookout. A log bench provides a good excuse for giving your feet a rest.

Heading northward from the lookout, pass patches of moss as you descend to a four-way intersection. Head straight (north) across the intersection on the "Return Trail," blazed with the familiar symbols for the Deer Run, White Pine, and Lost Pond Trails. The path winds gently toward Mary's Meadow, snaking through a chaos of boulders and then plunging down a wooded hillside on stone steps. From the southern end of the meadow, head diagonally right (north) across the field to reach your car. Don't forget to return your walking stick!

Note: The preserve is open every day. Guided tours are available. (For more contact information "See Addresses")