Rotterdam Kiwanis Park(Mohawk Valley)

Took advantage of another brief opportunity to get out for a late afternoon walk after work today along the Mohawk-Hudson Bike Path.  I parked at the Rotterdam Kiwanis Park, a community park and boat launch along the Mohawk River, just off Route 5s.  The park was founded in 1986 by the Rotterdam Kiwanis Club and offers direct access to the bike path.

 The bike path is paved and makes for easy walking.  The trail is actually an 86-mile trail in New York's Mohawk Valley and Capital Region and is the most easternmost segment of the New York State Canalway Trail.

 Where the Plotter Kill flows into the Mohawk.

 The beautiful Plotter Kill flows under the bike path just east of the parking lot.  A small series of cascades and an old canal aqueduct make for a gorgeous spot.

 A very small split in the creek provides a better look at the Plotter Kill.

 Rotterdam Kiwanis Park provides a boat launch, picnic areas and fishing access as well as access to the bike path.

 Looking back to the west at the Rotterdam hills.

Unfortunately the peaceful serenity of the trail is broken by the constant noise of traffic rushing by on Route 5s, which parallels the bike path.

 The placid waters of the Mohawk River offering up pleasant reflections.

 Cattails in the wind where the old canal ran.

 A tower from the nearby SI Group near a bend in the river.

 Active railroad tracks cross the Mohawk jut upstream from a clearing on the trail.  Several minutes later I saw a train crossing the river here.

 Looking at the Route 5s bridge that crosses the Plotter Kill.

 Late afternoon sun along the bike path.

 A quiet neighborhood can be seen sitting along the north shores of the Mohawk from under the 890 bridge.

 From a small field, you get a clear view of the I-890 bridge crossing.

 A bit further downstream, houses can be spotted high above steep bluffs along the river.

Heading back along the bike path, while the sun sets through the typical, damp riverside woods.  Due to the below average temperatures and wind chills I only saw two other people on bikes the entire time on the path.

 Felt great getting out and walking about a total of 3.2 miles RT.  While the sun was quickly setting, there was still a sliver of daylight left, so I visited the nearby Plotter Kill Preserve to take a look at the Upper Falls.  While only a couple miles away as the crow flies, the Preserve is located at a much higher elevation meaning winter has a much firmer grip.  The partly frozen waters of the Plotter Kill just above a footbridge on the red trail.

 The beautifully mostly frozen 60 foot upper falls. 

There are a pair of other spectacular falls at the preserve but darkness was setting in on the woods so I had to head back to the car.