Rome Sand Plains

The Rome Sand Plains is one of only a few inland pine barrens in the nation, (see list here).  Fine grain sands  had accumulated in the shallow areas of the eastern shore of the ancient Lake Iroquois, wide swaths of which were later exposed in Rome, NY when the glaciers receded,  The west wind then blew them into high sand dunes while the low areas became peat bogs.  There are still some exposed sand dunes with pine barrens,wetlands, and northern hard woods interspersed with transitional meadow with unique birds, butterflies and plants.

The Rome Sand Plains is owned and managed by a consortium of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Izaak Walton League, Oneida County, the City of Rome and private landowners.  More than 4000 of the 16,000 acres of the Rome Sand Plains are protected.


An exposed sand dune is easily seen from this trailhead parking on Hogsback Road.  We followed a foot trail that went to the top of the dune and exited to the road.  This turned out to be Bog Trail.

At another parking lot, we followed a trail which lead to another exposed sand dune. This appears to be a popular target shooting area based on the remnants of targets on the dune, spent shells and other garbage on the ground.  What a shame to do this damage to a natural wonder.  The first sand dune we saw also had some spent shells and casings on the ground in spite of the clear warning against target shooting in the area.


As we headed back to the parking lot, we saw another trail on the left which lead to a gently sloping sandy hill bordered by pitch pines with new growth close to the trail.  There was even a bench at the edge of the trail, at a large open area.  Could this be the Sand Dune Trail?  We did not find any sign and could not find this on any trail map.

As we continued, we ended up at the trailhead for Wood Creek Trail.  The informational signs describe the geologic history of the sand plains and the navigational significance of Wood Creek.

We signed the registry then proceeded along the 0.6 mile trail along the crest of a dune.  There are tall white pine, hemlocks and oaks with moss and lichens covering some of the barren areas.  The trail narrows as it approaches the banks of Wood Creek.  We turned around and followed the trail back to the parking lot.

Wood Creek

 We were a little disappointed for not seeing any blue lupine or frosted elfin butterfly and the litter around the exposed dunes left a sour note to the hike.  It was nevertheless interesting to walk on the sand dunes and discover the vegetation they support.  Maybe we'll come back next time to walk the slightly longer Blue Trail.