How Settles Mountain Became A Public Nature Preserve With Hiking Trails
A generous donation—270 acres of forests, fields, and hiking trails—helped inspire a partnership between the Schoharie Land Land Trust and community volunteers and the creation of the Settles Mountain Land Preserve.
Richard Norton's connection to the land runs deep. So deep that instead of keeping his 270 acres of forests, fields, a six-acre beaver bog, and network of hiking trails for himself, he passed it on as the Settles Mountain Nature Preserve—a secluded but easily-accessible mountaintop with views in every direction.
Your Trail Guide
The Settles Mountain Nature Preserve is on Old Smokey Hollow Road, off Settles Mountain Road, just north of Cobleskill. You can also pick up the trails at the SUNY Cobleskill Ski Lodge, off Route 10.
Smokey Hollow is rough at the start and it's not plowed in the winter
There's a parking lot, but it's also fine to park on the road
Horses and bikes are permitted, but no motorized vehicles and no hunting
Camping is permitted with written permission
Maps are available at the trailhead and on the AllTrails app as well as at SchoharieLandTrust.org
Seven Miles of Hiking Trails Near Cobleskill
It was October 2024 that Norton donated the family land—a mountaintop with gasp-worthy views of the Cobleskill Creek Valley—to the Schoharie Land Trust, an ambitious and sobering project for the all-volunteer non-profit to take on. "We'd never done anything like that before," said the Land Trust's Fred Mauhs.
But curious members visited the site. "We were sold," astonished by the variety and age of some of the trees. And the trails. "We realized that maybe we should make an exception because that development pressure there was tremendous." This might be the last chance to preserve it for everyone. Forever.
Schoharie Land Trust’s Fred Mauhs leads an anniversary hike at the Settle’s Mountain, Cobleskill site.
It's Been Worth It
A year after Mauhs, Norton and others cut the ribbon on the seven-mile trail system, 20 people gathered for an October anniversary hike—joining the hundreds before them who'd already visited. Mauhs repeats that origin story for the anniversary hikers, leading them through a cathedral of old growth hemlocks, past forgotten foundations, and up and down trails full of memories for neighbors like Hank Lamont ("I remember picnicking here when I was 4 years old"), Dan Berard, and Tim Holmes. All of whom grew up on "the mountain."
Preserving that access was what Norton had in mind when he set about donating—rather than selling off—the land he'd started buying in the mid-1960s, when he was working in New York City and Europe, getting home to his mountain as often as he could. The Land Trust's goals—conservation, education, and recreation—were a perfect match.
"There's a lot of family history there. We had so many outings up there with a lot of friends. I wanted to share it."
That spirit has spread:
Berard and his siblings, who also grew up on the mountain, will be adding their 14 acres to the preserve
Andre Nadeau and Keith Bavolar have donated their time improving parking and clearing trails
Boy Scouts from Lawyersville pitched in to clear trails and build picnic tables (and maybe next, a lean-to)
It's all paid off: A trail register shows eight pages of visitors since the ribbon was cut on the preserve's three loops. The number continues to grow.
Growing Up on Settles Mountain
Dan Berard is one of those with deep roots here. Memories of camping, hiking, and picnicking on the mountain were made even fonder by the years he spent in Europe in his Air Force days, visiting whenever he came home. "It's how I knew I was home," and one of the first places he went when he moved back. His dad and Dick were best friends; Dick's parents were always there on the mountain too. "It was like you were a part-owner. It was part of all of us."
It was part of Tim Holmes too. "Always there. Always a magical place." Holmes grew up nearby in Lawyersville and before they could drive, he'd walk there with friends, free-ranging for the day. Older, under the watchful eye of Cobleskill cross-country coach Don Bond, he trained by running Settles Mountain Road from end-to-end.
The lumber for the barns on the Holmes family farm? It came from his great-grandfather's wood lots on the mountain. Another connection—not just for him, but many other locals, including Dick Norton, who can also tell stories of family woodlots there.
It was the Holmes family that sold Dick Norton his first 80 acres on Settles Mountain. "And then we were still free to use it. Can you imagine? Because of Dick, it's going to be there forever. For generations. It's getting so much use. We are so grateful."
"It's nothing," said Norton. "I just want to keep it open to everyone."
Explore More
The Schoharie Land Trust has preserved more than 3,500 acres county-wide, including in Jefferson and Summit, where the 350-acre Paulson Preserve off Perglie Road is accessible year-round. Learn more at SchoharieLandTrust.org.
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