Snow Mountain & Eastern Knob of Spruce Mountain(Wilcox Lake Wild Forest-Adirondacks)

Finally got up to the Adirondacks to do some exploring to a couple of obscure peaks in a quiet little pocket in the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest.  Parked along the east shoulder of Lens Lake Road(Elevation 1673 feet), where the first NY DEC sign is located and headed east into the woods, quickly picking up an unmarked but obvious unofficial trail.

Just about 1/10 of mile  from the road is a very nice footbridge crossing over the Roaring Branch.  

The trail is wide and very easy to follow, and appears to receive routine maintenance. 

After about 8/10 of a mile, the trail forks, and red discs mark the way up towards Snow Mountain.

Approaching Snow Mountain's cliffs.

Snow Mountain's cliffs offer some very nice views, with this view south to neighboring Spruce Mountain.

West views across Lens Lake Road towards Slip, Tenant, Wheeler and Thompson Mountains.

Continuing above the ledges, I found one more partial view a little higher up, similar to the lower ledges.

The unofficial trail ends at rock cairn in a clearing.  This is not the summit, however.  

I continued on, off trail heading south towards the summit, through open hardwoods.

Snow Mountain's 2410 foot true summit sits in a very large, meadow like area.

From the summit, I bushwhacked steeply south through some ledge bands, soon arriving at an extensive marsh area.  Hints of autumn color were starting to show, especially around this particular area.

Making my way around the marsh, with a view back north at Snow Mountain, where I had just been.

From the marsh, I continued my bushwhack south, weaving my way up the Spruce Mountain's east knob .

Instead of heading straight up to the top of the knob, I first visited an impressive set of south facing ledges around 2200 feet.  Here's a view SE towards Hadley Mountain.  A keen eye can even pick out the fire tower atop the mountain.

From the same ledges, a stunning south facing vista unfolds, stretching all the way down to the Great Sacandaga Lake.

Immediately to the SW, is Spruce Mountain's ridge line, rising above.

From a slightly higher ledge, a broader but similar view south.

After enjoying the views, it was an uneventful bushwhack up and over the wooded east knob of Spruce Mountain(Elevation 2440 feet), continuing north until I met up with the unofficial trail on Spruce Mountain proper.  

A nice, easy walk back on the trail brought me back to my car on Lens Lake Road.  Covered a touch over 5 miles RT, with nearly 1200 feet of combined ascent.  

Map below.   Blue P=Parking.   Blue Circle=Ledges on Snow Mountain     Blue Star=Ledges on SE Spruce Mountain

Albert Community Forest(Town of Nassau, Rensselaer County)

Snuck in another relaxing walk, this time solo, covering about 2.5 miles at Albert Community Forest in East Nassau.

Although it's not quite here yet, fall is definitely in the air.

Wachoosik Park(Town of Nassau, Rensselaer County)

Got one more short walk in with my three year old before his Pre-K classes start Tuesday.  We walked the quiet trails of Wachoosik Park in Nassau on an absolutely perfect late summer day.  As always, my son's favorite part was playing in the stream near the red trail.

Temps hovering near 70 and a lack of humidity made for ideal conditions. 

We covered about 8/10 mile total.  Happy Labor Day all.

Waterfront Esplanade and Riverfront Park(City of Rensselaer, Rensselaer County)

Took advantage of a beautiful late summer day by bringing both of my young boys out for a couple of easy walks today along the east banks of the Hudson River in the city of Rensselaer.  Our first stop was the Waterfront Esplanade, which is a short walk, but offers up incredible views across the river to the Albany skyline.

Just down the road a short distance, sits Riverfront Park and the Empire State Trail, which was our second stop.  From the trail, caught a nice look across the water towards the USS Slater, a World War II relic, which also happens to be the last destroyer escort afloat in the United States.  

Conditions were perfect for a nice stroll, and just enough views all around us to keep my one and three year old's attention.

From the mouth of Quackenbury Creek, looking west across the Hudson.  My three year old was astonished by the U-Haul truck that somehow got on top the building.  

Looking south down the Hudson River, with the Rensselaer Yacht Club to the left.

Didn't cover a lot of ground, but that was not the goal anyways.  Our tracks added up to about 3/4 of a mile, but it was highly scenic and came with an added bonus.  A large playground at the Riverfront Park for my two toddlers to enjoy post hike.  My oldest starts Pre-K next week, so I may get some of my hiking time back again soon...then again, maybe not.

Papscanee Island Nature Preserve(Town of Schodack, Rensselaer County)

Took both of my boys out for the first time today, opting to keep it local and take it nice and easy at the Papscanee Island Nature Preserve along the east banks of the Hudson River.  Weather conditions were optimal for mid August, with relatively tolerable humidity and temps in the low 80's.  Unfortunately the bugs were a whole separate issue.  They were absolutely swarming us!  Luckily, the trails are all pretty much level and easy walking.

Looking downstream on the Hudson River.  

Looking upstream on the river.  This was not only both of my boys favorite part of the hike, but the only area where the bugs weren't attacking us!

Once on the trails in the woods, we were inundated with biting mosquitoes so we practically ran much of the way.  I stopped briefly to take this photo on the red trail, and had to swat away several bugs off of my youngest's head...so we didn't linger.

We had every intention of hiking more of the trails here, but the bugs were relentless, so we turned back around along the white trail, rushing back to the car.  We covered about 1.3 miles RT.  Even with the annoyance, both of my boys really seemed to enjoy being out there exploring with me.

Dill Brook Community Forest(Town of Petersburg, Rensselaer County)

Took my toddler out for a local walk at the Dill Brook Community Forest in the quiet hills of rural Petersburg in eastern Rensselaer County.  The Community Forest covers 150 acres and is another one of Hudson Taconic Land's beautiful properties.  We first checked out Dill Creek, which sits just south of CR-94, and my son had a ball splashing around in the shallow but cool mountain stream.

After frolicking in the brook for a bit, we crossed over to the north side of the road and hiked some of the serene trails of the forest, which ranged from fairly steep to mostly benign.  

Although there is a decent amount of elevation change, I would guess from my experience, that the best views would be when the leaves are off the trees.  Down low, on the Quarry Rim Trail, I was able to capture this pastoral look out across some farmland along Route 22, with the eastern edge of the Rensselaer Plateau above.

My boy grew weary after a little while, so we cut the hike short.  We covered about 2 miles total, with 400 feet of combined climbing.

Rensselaer Tech Park Southern/ Cascades Trails(Town of North Greenbush, Rensselaer County)

Tucked between the Hudson River to the west, the city of Troy to the north, and the hustle and bustle of the Rensselaer Tech Park and nearby traffic on Route 4 to its east, sits an expansive wooded trail network filled with cascading streams, ravines and surprising solitude.  I took advantage of a rare window of free time this morning to visit the Tach Park's southern trails off of Stone Clay Road, on a beautiful summer day.  Even though it was a Tuesday, I was shocked to be the only car in the lot as I set out on the orange blazed trail.

I followed the trail west across Stone Clay Road, and into the woods, eventually meeting up with the highly scenic Cascades Trail.  A babbling brook accompanies you for much of this trail, with several picturesque cascades making for a pleasant stroll.

I followed the Cascades Trail west to its terminus, where it spills out onto railroad tracks, which run north/ south along the Hudson River.  I turned left here, headed south, along the tracks for about 1/3 of a mile until I saw the orange blazes of the South Trail drop down from the woods.

Back in the woods, the orange trail climbs steeply up  away from the tracks, winding its way through ravines, heading generally east back to the car.  The woods remained peaceful and quiet the entire hike,

Covered about 3.3 miles total with 350 feet of elevation gain along the way.  A Rensselaer County gem.