Town of Sand Lake Walking Trail(Sand Lake, Rensselaer County)

On my drive home today, I kind of accidentally stumbled upon the Sand Lake Walking Trail near the area of Averill Park on Eastern Union Turnpike.  The large sign pointed me in the right direction so I decided to give it a look.

What I found was a wooden kiosk near the parking area, complete with a trail map.  I set out on the blue trail passing through an open field, with the sounds of nearby traffic and houses all around.  

Thankfully the trail quickly dips into the woods, becoming much more peaceful.  Am I the only one who thinks the branches look like tentacles?

A yellow marked trail soon comes in on the right, so I turned onto it, as the woods quickly transitioned into a pretty hemlock stand.

The yellow trail passes quietly through the dark hemlocks and follows the edge of a large wetland.  A red trail(marked only with flagging) turns into the wetland and crosses a pair of tiny streams on beautifully crafted wooden foot bridges.

The highlight of the entire trail was the red section along the Wynants Kill, a meandering creek that eventually empties out in the Hudson all the way west in Troy. 

The red trail skirts the edge of the creek before eventually looping back through the wetland.

Back on the blue trail, I passed by a picnic area that sits atop a small hill in a field and eventually back to the car.  Near the property line along the creek, I happened to notice this old boarded up building.  Not sure of the history here, but almost looks like an old mill. 

Turned out to be a nice, stretch your legs, easy walk of about 1.5 miles total.  Elevation gain is fairly minimal and would make a great place t walk your dog.