Hand Hollow State Forest(New Lebanon)

I first visited the 518 acre Hand Hollow State Forest back in September of 2015 just after the DEC had began work on a parking lot and trail.  This evening I decided to pay a visit to the forest again to see what kind of progress has been made.  I was quite impressed with the kiosk and forest map located beside the parking lot near the junction of Schoolhouse Road and Columbia County Route 34(Hand Hollow Rd).  This hike was to be an out and back 1.4 mile round trip visit to 10 acre Spiegelberg Lake.

The trail begins on the south side of Hand Hollow Road across from the parking lot and is handicap accessible.  It is wide and easy to follow with crushed stone over the muddy areas. It quickly drops down from the road to a couple of bridge crossings.

 Crossing over peaceful Hollow Brook, which contains wild brown and brook trout.

 Once across the brook, the trail winds it way uphill to an access road, which continues ascending the rest of the way towards Spiegelberg Lake.

 Just before arriving at the lake, the trail turns sharply left, arriving at a fishing pier on the north shore.

Sat back and relaxed at the fishing pier for a few minutes, soaking in the solitude. 

Retraced my steps back to car as evening set in.  1.4 miles total on a very humid night.