Pachaquack Preserve(Valatie)

Went for a nice evening walk on a beautiful Thursday night at the Pachaquack Preserve in the village of Valatie.  Finally feeling like true spring weather the last couple days...what a great way to end the month of April! Just before arriving at the Preserve, I stopped at the Beaver Cotton Mill Falls Overlook.  This view of the cascading waters on the Kinderhook Creek never disappoints.

 The evening was quiet as I strolled along the creek's banks.  Such a peaceful night.

 Plant life has really sprung to life the last couple days, with much more green budding everywhere since this past weekend.

Although I dealt with mosquitoes for the first time this year, it was a very satisfying short walk along the Kinderhook Creek on a pleasant spring night.

Kaaterskill Falls/ Plateau Mountain(Catskills)

Kalli and I both had the day off and were anxious to get out into the Catskills for some hiking on a sunny Tuesday morning.  Our first stop was the Kaaterskill Falls trail along Route 23A on the north side of Kaaterskill Clove.  Unfortunately, parking is located about .3 of a mile further up the road, which means that you must walk back down along the road to the actual trail entrance. The view of the Clove itself from the parking area is phenomenal.  The road can be seen snaking along through the trees.

 

 Care must be taken when crossing the road from the parking area.  We chose to stay on the safe side of the guardrails as much as we could.

Once arriving at the trail, you cannot miss the first set of falls(which is NOT Kaaterskill Falls) which are clearly visible from Route 23A.  These falls are called Bastion Falls, and are a great prelude to the larger falls further upstream.

 The falls actually come down in three tiers, dropping an estimated 71 feet total.

 Continuing on the trail following Spruce Creek for about a half mile, you arrive at Kaaterskill Falls incredible 260 foot drop over dual cascades .

 Breathtaking!

 The trail back along the creek is very pleasant, with a few ups and downs and marked with yellow blazes.

 We each took turns rock hopping onto Spruce Creek for views of the cascading waters.

 Easily the busiest trail in the entire Catskill Park, we were surprised to only pass a couple of people on the return to the car.  Total mileage for this short hike was 1.6 RT.
Our next destination was 3840 foot Plateau Mountain along the Devils Path.  After leaving the falls, we headed west along 23A for several miles through Tannersville and then turned onto Route 214 south to Notch Lake, located in Stony Clove. We parked at the lake, where the view of the notch between Hunter and Plateau Mountain is truly remarkable. 

 The red marked Devils Path trail leading up Plateau Mountain is found directly across the road from the parking area, where a series of steps leads up into the woods.

 The trail immediately begins to climb once in the woods, very steeply at times.

 A typical, rocky section of the steep Devil's Path, which climbs over 1600 feet in the first 1.2 miles.

  More climbing!

 We were treated to some view points to the south and west through Stony Clove and far, far beyond.

 The first signs of snow, at around 3300 feet in elevation.

The 3500 foot sign as we neared Orchard Point.

 The final rocky climb up to Orchard Point.

 A breathtaking panorama to the west from Orchard Point.

 Blue skies and puffy clouds over Hunter Mountain.  Hunter's fire tower can be seen with a keen eye, as well as the ski slopes beyond the shoulder of the mountain.

 Looking back up at the evergreens near Orchard Point.

South facing views.

 Remarkable views!!!

 We relaxed at Orchard Point, enjoying lunch and our views.

 After finally leaving Orchard Point, we continued along the Devils Path for another .15 miles to Danny's Lookout, which offered incredible views to the north and east with Roundtop and Kaaterskill High Peak clearly visible.

 On top of the world.

 Loved these rocks at the lookout.

The Blackhead Range is clearly visible to the north from this incredible view point.

 An incredible panorama from Danny's Lookout to the north and east.

 After Danny's Lookout, we continued on the flat, Plateau like summit area for about 1.7 miles.  The woods became much more winter like with snow and ice all around.

 Typical trail conditions along Pleateau's long summit ridge.

 The trail passed through a deep evergreen forest for quite a distance with no views other than the dark woods and icy/ snowy trail.

 My GPS gave this area as the closest spot on the trail to the summit at around 3840 feet in elevation. The true summit is several yards off the trail here and in the woods.

Nearing the Orchard Point Lookout on the way back, we noticed some light sprinkles and dark clouds rolling in.  We picked up the pace a bit just to make sure we didn't get caught in any rain.

The hike back down the mountain was steep and rocky and was tough on our legs.  We were glad to be back to the car after 6 miles RT and 7.6 miles RT for the day.

Rowland Hollow Creek(Saratoga Springs)/ Coldbrook Preserve(Northumberland)

Visited a couple of Saratoga PLAN properties this afternoon on a mostly cloudy but comfortable late April day.  Saratoga PLAN(Preserving Land and Nature), helps preserve lands county wide for future generations to enjoy, as well as over 200 miles of trails.  My first stop today was Rowland Hollow Creek, located on Grand Avenue, several miles west of Saratoga Springs.  Parking is on the south side of the road in a small lot just past Cygnet Circle.

 A white marked trail heads away from the parking lot, past a couple of beautiful homes and into the woods.  Moss clings to an old stone wall along the trail.

 A bench provides an opportunity to pause and enjoy a slice of nature in suburbia.

 The white trail forms a loop and eventually meets up with a red marked loop trail.  Just beyond the red trail, is a blue marked spur path that leads to a quiet spot along the creek.

 Reflections.

 Further along the red loop trail, there are a couple more chances to see the nearly still water of Rowland Hollow Creek.

 Followed the red trail back to the white loop, which brought me back to the car.   Total trail mileage is slightly less than a mile which was a nice chance to stretch my legs.
After leaving Rowland Hollow Creek, I followed Route 29 through Saratoga Springs and east another 7 miles into the town of Northumberland.  Coldbrook Preserve is located about a mile and a half north along Homestead Road on the left side of the road.  This is a very small parking area, with room for one or two cars but not much more.

The trail follows a straight line west, away from the road and past backyards.  Unfortunately the sounds of gunshots were ringing out alarmingly close to the trail which were enough to make me a bit nervous.

 A newly built footbridge crosses the Cole Brook and enters the woods here.

 The Cole Brook is a very small stream that meanders south from the Snook Kill.

 Took the blue marked trail which heads north and west following the diminutive Cole Brook for a distance.

 Green flagging marked a trail along state land which drops down to, and crosses the stream.  I followed this trail for a distance before turning back.

 State land borders the west side of the preserve.

 I returned to the blue trail, which meets with the red trail and forms a loop.  The loop brought me back to Cole Brook where I found this old, outdated bridge crossing next to the new footbridge. 

Completed about 2 miles RT and 3 miles total for the day.  The rain held off, and with temperatures in the mid 50s, it was a nice, quiet walk.