Siwanoy Trail – Pelham Bay Park
Location- 838-822 Shore Rd, The Bronx, NY
Trail- Siwanoy Trail Loop
Length of trail- 2 miles
Duration- 56 minutes
Trail head from Bartow – Pell Mansion.
The Trail:
I was looking around for a nice easy trail without any elevation. But I also didn’t want to be bored. Luckily, I chose to hike the Siwanoy Trail. I love seeing wildlife and especially birds. As I found out, this hike was a mixture of local history, various bird species and a wildlife surprise.
I parked at the Pelham Bay & Split Rock Golf Courses lot, which was right across the street from one of the trail’s entrances. There isn’t a marker present, but I could see a path in the woods and my AllTrails app had a pretty good estimate for the trailhead.
Trail head from Pelham Bay & Split Rock Golf Club Parking Lot.
Most of the leaves had fallen, and I could see the yellow markers. The trail begins with a wooden fence meant to deter horseback riders from using these paths. The trees twist and crane over each other and shrubs climb high.
As you walk along you start to see the water from the long island sound. This stretch is more like a lagoon. There is a retaining wall made of stone and drainage ditch which looks like it has been there for a hundred years.
Reeds grow high in the sky, but their thin stalks conceal you. This gives an awesome opportunity for birdwatching. In fact, this entire trail was a bird watchers paradise as I easily saw and heard over a dozen species.
Reeds at the shoreline. This is a good place to try and catch a flying bird or two.
As you keep going you come to an area of planks, this won’t be the last time either. Keep your out for the yellow markers to ensure you’re on the trail.
After the planks, on the right is the first clearing. I would say much of this trail is spent with your eyes on the water and the sky as birds are constantly flying, chirping, and swimming.
There is a split for the circular trail, I chose left but you could easily go right. On the left portion, the first thing you notice is a huge structure appearing through the trees. This is the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum.
As you keep going you begin to see headstones. I paused there. It was the Pell Family Cemetery. They have historical epitaphs on stone pillars surrounding the grave and carvings as well that are quite interesting.
Pell Family Cemetary. Behind is the Bartow- Pell Mansion.
One of the carvings on the Pell Cemetary fence post.
Back into the woods, planks appear again. This time they are needed as the ground is very saturated and swampy. On the right reeds sprout up again and the left you follow the outskirts of the Bartow- Pell Mansion property.
On the day I hiked, these planks were lifesavers in keeping my feet dry and out of the mud.
Throughout the trail, I used my Merlin Bird ID app by Cornell Lab. Through it, I identified about 9 different species including a Red-bellied Woodpecker, Gray Catbird, and Belted Kingfisher.
There is a stream and another plank that offers crossing. At intervals, planes heading to and from LaGuardia Airport would thunder overhead. But after the third one I didn’t notice their engines and listened more to the various birds.
After the stream, you come to an open dirt road path. Across from this is where the trail continues. It was a tad confusing because I didn’t see any yellow markers. But I crossed to where I saw a sign and fence. A warning was posted against horse riding. The fence twists and turns you so that only people may enter.
You hike through high vegetation and under fallen trees. It’s quite peaceful and you forget you’re anywhere near New York City. It was here that I came to the first marker that showed that I was on the Siwanoy trail.
The trail continues and you come to a coniferous line. Now you’re in the woods, at least I felt that way surrounded by green pine needles and forest floor. The trail has a split here but stay to your right.
This stretch of coniferous trees on the Siwanoy trail, creates a sense of seclusion in the woods. To the right is the bay and across is the road to Orchard Beach. But hiking here you would never know it.
There you head toward the water. More fence posts with the Siwanoy Trail painted in green appear. Follow the path and you are heading back along the shoreline.
I saw a family of ducks in the water and Canadian Geese flying overhead. There aren’t any markers as the path is straight forward in this section.
There was a section that had too few planks and I dipped in the mud a little more than I wished. But I did see a Cardinal so that picked me up as I walked out of that section.
Another section I was thankful for these wooden planks.
The left side of the trail opens, and a picnic table appears out of nowhere. There’s nice views of the water and it’s a lovely spot to eat and take a break.
A peaceful picnic area.
The shoreline continues. I saw the Belted Kingfisher here which was an awesome sight. They make an interesting noise if you’ve never heard them.
There are more off-trail spots to bird watch and a section that seems like it was a dumping ground for bricks or perhaps a structure was knocked down.
Place to view birds. There are a few off trail paths like this to take out your binoculars or camera.
Back in the woods, you follow the path left in reverse. You can empty out at the road and go home or stay left and follow it to the end by the Bartow Circle. On that portion I scared a pair of deer that hopped ahead of me and disappeared into the tall reeds.
All in all, I was glad to come across and choose this interesting, nature filled, and historical hike. I hope you enjoy it as well and see as much or more wildlife. And don’t forget to bring binoculars, monocular, or a camera, anything you think would be good for a day out birdwatching. Because as my initial hike proved this trail is a birdwatcher’s heaven.
The Tale :
The sacred land:
The Siwanoy are a tribe native to the Long Island sound area of Connecticut and New York. (Tribal Council of the Siwanoy Nation – Tribal History). The Siwanoy Trail goes along the sound in a place called Laaphawachking.
According to the Tribal Council of the Siwanoy Nation, Pelham Bay Park is part of their most sacred ancestral lands.
There are disputes about the history of the area being called Laaphawachking (Historic Pelham: Pelham and the Native American Story of Laaphawachking. Is It True?).
But as far as I can tell the land was and is a meaningful place.
In the 1640s, a war broke out for the lands of the Siwanoy. Dutch and English settlers killed over a thousand of the native population under the leadership of General Kieft (Tribal Council of the Siwanoy Nation – Tribal History)
In 1643, Wampage I attacked the Hutchinson’s that tried building a home on Siwanoy land. Anne Hutchinson was killed during this conflict and today the Hutchinson River Parkway is named after her (Hutchinson River Parkway Highlights : NYC Parks ).
The First Lord of the Manor:
Thomas Pell was the Indian Commissioner of Fairfield Connecticut when Wampage I and four other leaders of native tribes signed a treaty bestowing lands in southern Westchester County and reaching into the Bronx which included the Siwanoy Trail (History – Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum ).
This land became known as Pelham Manor and Pell was named its first lord. The Pell Family Cemetary has inscriptions referencing this honor.
The Pell family sold the land, but a descendant of Thomas named Robert Bartow purchased it almost two hundred years later (History – Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum).
The aftermath:
The land that was part of the Bartow- Pell Mansion purchase was transferred to New York City in the late 1880s and became part of Pelham Bay Park (History – Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum).
The Siwanoy stayed for years in the Westchester area. Some intermarried others assimilated. But in the early 1830s they, like many other native tribes, were removed to the west (Tribal Council of the Siwanoy Nation – Tribal History).