South Spring Pool Trail
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge

Quick Bits

Main Activities - Hike, Birding
Distance - 3 miles of trails  (when including adjacent trails)
Quiet - relatively quiet, so areas with  road noise
Surface -  good surfaces, mix of  boardwalks, dirt, and grass.
Elevation - relatively flat
Pets - leashes required
Address - Route 89, Montezuma, New York

In a Nutshell

The South Spring Pool Trail is part of the much larger Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. This trail connects with the Esker Pond trails and others to give about 3 miles of easy hiking and bird watching that spans a couple pools/ponds, a brook, some open fields and some hardwoods. This offers a large assortment of flora and fauna.

Location and Parking

More details

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is run by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Servie which can be confused with the Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management Area run by the New York State DEC. The Montezuma NWR is approximately 10,000 acres of what has been known as the Montezuma Marshes which were significantly impacted in the 1800s and early 1990s due to construction of dams and canals. Today it boasts a wonderful assortment of flora and fauna. The majority of the trails are very well maintained with several being accessible to almost everyone.

The South Spring Pool Trail is a short trail of of NY State Route 89. Close to the parking area is an observation platform. From there, the trail heads mostly west through wetlands. Watch for birds on both sides of the trail. There are hiding spots for both small sparrows and larger herons on both sides. The trail then breaks out into mostly open fields. There is a short area with a relatively steep incline and then a trail turns north along the ridge which connects with the Esker Pond Trails and Trailhead. You'll find a couple benches throughout the area. 

Because of the woods and brook as well as the wetlands, you'll find a large variety of birds from sparrows and cardinals in the woodland edges and thickets to Red-winged blackbirds, Mallards, and Herons in the marshier areas. Also squirrels and chipmunks abound, despite the large amount of fox droppings I saw. The hardwoods on the brooke trail include some large shagbark hickories.

For those curiosu about the name of Montezuma so far north, it goes back to 1806. That is when a Dr. Peter Clark settled and built a home that he named after the Aztec Emperor Montezuma. Over time 'Montezuma' was tacked onto the nearby village and the marsh itself.