Leon Levy Preserve
Park Acreage:
383 acres
Trail Miles:
4.5 miles
Trail Uses:
Hiking, Bridle path, X-C skiing
GPS:
41.259567, -73.530514
TC maintained
Directions
From I-684, take Exit 6 (Route 35) and turn east. Continue 9.1 miles and turn right at the traffic light onto Route 123 just before the New York-Connecticut line. Continue south 0.3 mile and just after the sign for the preserve, turn right into the parking lot .
No public transportation
Park Overview
Haboring a variety of wildlife, the Leon Levy Preserve has 25-foot high cliffs, extensive wetlands, and hardwood forests.
Trail Overview
The carriage roads on this former estate have become hiking trails and are wide enough to allow walking two or three abreast. Extensive stonework is apparent on the many at-grade raised roadbeds.
Park Description
The Leon Levy Preserve is tranquil, scenic, and, adding to the charm of the place, includes a mansion in ruins. The preserve is named in memory of its principal benefactor, Leon Levy. His love of Lewisboro and for nature came together in the purchase of watershed property that local residents had been trying to protect since 1996. Levy, a Wall Street investor, founder of Oppenheimer Funds, and major philanthropist, died in 2003. A family foundation, his widow, Shelby White, and his brother, Jay, provided $5 million of the $8.3 million purchase, completed in 2005.
As of 2018 there are new trails on the east side of Route 123.