From 2019 to 2021, I was stationed at Fort Drum in Upstate NY and lived right up against the eastern shore of Lake Ontario. Being the nature girly I am, I set out to find outdoor opportunities nearby shortly after I arrived.
While looking on Google Maps along the coast of Lake Ontario for beaches and walking trails, I stumbled upon the Eldorado Nature Preserve. It involves a roughly 1.25 mile nature walk to a “beach” and the option to take a short path to a bird blind that looks out onto the shore. I use the term beach in quotes because the shore is mostly made up of large, flat bedrock leftover from retreating ancient glaciers and tiny mussel shell pieces.
I recommend this trail in the spring when the seasonal wetland is flooded and the frogs are out. The roar of them calling over each other is greater than I’ve heard anywhere else. Just make sure if you go in the spring you wear some high, water-proof boots. The water levels can be almost impassible at times.
Why is this trail special?
I really appreciate a trail that has unique individual sections. I like to feel like I’m transitioning into different environments as I go. I break up this trail into 4 unique sections:
After walking for a moment, you enter a dark portion of the trail. Mossy trees form a tunnel that blocks out a lot of the light. It would almost be spooky if it weren’t so earthy and peaceful due to the quiet and the gorgeous moss covering everything.
You walk along boardwalks above seasonally flooded ground. These sections become fairly deep with water in the early springtime, and you’ll likely see a frog or two.
You walk through a section before reaching the lake that lets you know it’s right around the corner. This section has the coastal feel of smaller trees spread out and meadowy plants.
The Lake! Most of the year, visitors are encouraged to avoid walking along the lake because of the multitude of migratory and mating birds using the area. But suppose you check it out in the off-season. In that case, you’ll see the long, flat, continuous rock formations that stretch out into the water, trees along the shore with long roots spreading to the water, and an unfathomable amount of broken little invasive quagga shells, most likely leftover from the waterfowl.
Nature Opportunities
Big Time Birding
There is a large amount of algae along the coast here. This provides food for crustaceans and other invertebrates, which, in turn, makes great food for migrating and nesting birds! You can use the bird blind that looks out onto the shore to view the action without disruption.
To see what birds you can discover, I recommend using this NY Sea Grant resource and the Black Pond Management Area page. The Nature Conservancy also lists around 280 bird species for the east shore of Lake Ontario.
Don’t forget to bring your binoculars!
Dunes
At the point you reach the beach, you will notice the large mouth of a river flows out here. Across this river mouth is another, sandier beach. The hills right behind this beach are ancient, glacier-formed dunes! These dunes formed from retreating glaciers about 10,000 to 20,000 years ago. The east shoreline dunes of Lake Ontario are the second largest in the Northeast, after Cape Cod, Mass.
Monarch Butterfly
Monarch butterfly populations have been struggling for a while. A study in 2019 found that the population had declined by 97% since the 1980s. There is hope, though, as the Eastern Monarchs that winter down in Mexico covered an area twice the size of last winter’s area this year! The portion of the trail right before you reach the beach has milkweed, and this is the only plant that can support monarch butterfly eggs and caterpillars. This makes the El Dorado Preserve a key place for these butterflies.
I hope you get to see one if you go!
Directions
I’ll start the directions from Henderson, NY, since it is the closest decently sized town.
From Henderson, you will want to take Route 178 towards the Lake Ontario coast. You’ll reach a split before the Great Lakes Scenic Trail (Route 3), where Route 178 continues right. Take the left instead and cross over Route 3 onto Danley Rd (aka Route 152).
Continue along Danley Road until you reach a bridge to your left, which turns into Stoney Creek Rd. Immediately after crossing the bridge, take the right onto Grand Jean Road.
Ignore the Lower Access Road that goes off to the right as you drive along the section with multiple lake shore homes closer to your destination. Continue until you reach a split with Grand Jean Road continuing right and take the small dirt road left to reach the parking lot for the El Dorado Nature Preserve!
Good to Know:
The beach portion may be closed off from May to June for sandpiper and killdeer mating season, but you can still access the bird blind on-site to observe the lovers and other seasonal bird species that call the area home for the spring and summer.
If you have time, check out the Black Pond Wildlife Management Area Right down the road! This trail also features beautiful wetlands and will bring you to the sandy area across the mouth of the river you observe from the El Dorado beach. This means you’ll view the sand dunes up close! This trail is also ADA-compliant, so it’s very accessible!
Let me know if you’ve been on this hike and what species you saw while there!