Saratoga PLAN Reveals Snake Hill’s Future

STILLWATER — It’s probably the most iconic landmark on Saratoga Lake: a steep, 30-acre forested dome, made mostly of sandstone and shale, that rests on the lake’s eastern shore. 

Snake Hill, so named because of a rattlesnake population that once lived there but was wiped out in the mid-1800s, was purchased by Saratoga PLAN for $1 million back in December 2023. In the summer of last year, PLAN (a nonprofit land trust) proposed three possible options for the future of the permanently protected site. One would’ve allowed no public access, the second would allow limited public access, and the third would’ve made the hill available to visitors during daylight hours.

After reviewing hundreds of public feedback comments and consulting with potential programming partners, PLAN recently revealed a Snake Hill management plan that Executive Director Rob Davies said is “not etched in stone” and can be adjusted with time.

The public will be able to visit Snake Hill in small groups of visitors that are attending some sort of educational event via PLAN or a partner program or a volunteer outing. Trails will be maintained with a natural surface or gravel for passive public pedestrian use only. No bikes, motorized vehicles, or non-service dogs will be allowed.

In the future, additional facilities and amenities could potentially include a 1-mile natural surface loop trail, a small pull-off on Route 9P, a parking lot for 6-10 vehicles, a small gathering area with a shelter or cover, informational and safety signage, a boot-brush station, a portable bathroom facility, a gate that may be closed when no programing is happening, and designated areas that are closed for resource protection or research (such as wetland areas).

Overall, the site management plan is meant to focus on education and resource protection.

“We want to go slow,” Davies said in a public Zoom call on Feb. 26. “We don’t want to go too fast where we end up having some irreversible impact on the resource.”

Next steps will include continued research of the site, as well as collaborative efforts with the Town of Stillwater, Saratoga County, and New York State to acquire the necessary plans and permits. The public will be able to access Snake Hill after the appropriate permitting and safety concerns have been met.

“We understand people are interested and we appreciate the patience that you’re showing,” Davis said. “We do want to be good neighbors and we do have to be concerned about the surrounding community.”

Davies said that PLAN would provide updates on the hill’s status via his organization’s social media accounts and website.

While researching the site, PLAN discovered that Snake Hill is home to 45 different bird species, 5 of which are either protected or in decline. The dome features an “amazing amount of biodiversity,” said Stewardship Coordinator Magnolia Roosa, including foxes, turkeys, and black bears.

Snake Hill also has 22 invasive species that threaten its ecosystem, including the hemlock woolly adelgid (known as HWA), which can cause the deaths of hemlock trees and has left “ghost forests” throughout the Appalachian Mountains. PLAN said that it has already gone through one season of treatment for these HWA.

“We need to protect the health of the Snake Hill ecosystem,” Davies said. “We need to make sure that we not only protect that, but improve it.”