Muscoot Farm
Park Acreage:
777 acres
Trail Miles:
5.7 miles
Trail Uses:
Hiking
GPS:
41.259981, -73.725502
TC maintained
Directions
From I-684 take Exit 6 (NY 35) and head west. At Route 100, turn left and go 1.5 miles to the farm. The gate is locked at 4 pm, so plan accordingly
No public transportation available
Park Overview
A sign on Route 100 in Somers doesn’t begin to reveal what is in store for visitors at Muscoot Farm. It is a museum, education center and host to miles of old farm roads and blazed trails, as well as a
demonstration farm.
Trail Overview
The trails at Muscoot Farm follow rolling hills, sometimes in the woods, at other times across former farm fields. Several unmarked trails head towards the Muscoot River. Although there are no viewpoints along the wooded trails and farm roads, several open fields with expansive vistas of the surrounding forest are a short
distance from the farm proper. With sufficient snow cover, the fields are ideal for cross-country skiing.
Park Description
The animals at Muscoot Farm are typical of the animals that would have been found at a gentleman’s farm in the early twentieth century. There are a variety of domestic animals: fowl, cows, sheep, horses, donkeys, and goats, many of which are unusual or rare breeds. Children may be disappointed by not being able to touch or feed them.
Muscoot meant “something swampy” in the local Native American dialect and the name the Hopkins family used for their estate and dairy farm, owned through three generations. The farm initially served as a summer estate and in 1924, it became their year-round residence. When New York City acquired some of the Hopkins land for expansion of the Croton Reservoir, they moved the Georgian Colonial-style farmhouse to its present location to preserve it. When the water level in the reservoir is low, stone walls and foundations that were once part of the original property are visible. In 1967, the family sold the farm to Westchester County; it opened as a park eight years later.