I have been traveling down to the Chaumont (pronounced sha-mo) Barrens Nature Preserve for several years now to see and photograph the wild flowers. It is the only place I know in NY that has Yellow Lady Slippers and Prairie Smoke. I have been told there are also Ram's Head Lady Slippers in the wooded area, but I've yet to spot any. The Barrens are an unusual environment with very thin soil over limestone. It is owned by The Nature Conservancy. There is a loop trail through the area that is about 2.1 miles long. There is a picnic area just off the parking lot with a picnic table, but you would need a strange body conformation to use it. When I tried to sit on the bench to eat the sandwich I had taken with me, the bench was so low that the tabletop was only about 2" below my chin. I ended up eating while standing. There weren't a lot of flowers this time. The window for spring flowers varies between the last week of May and the first week of June. The Prairie Smoke was just starting to bloom. Perhaps I was a bit early.
If you want to visit Chaumont Barrens, turn off I-81 at the Dexter exit when going through Watertown. I forget the number, but it is the middle one of 3 exits. Go all the way to the village of Chaumont (about 8 miles) and turn right at the gas station/Subway shop. Follow that road until you come to a left turn just after a small cemetery on the right. There is no sign directing you to the Preserve. You need to know where the turn is. The Preserve is on your left a half mile or so down that road. It is open from a half hour before sunrise until a half hour after sunset.
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