Capital District Wildlife Management Area(Renssealer County, NY)

Headed back up to the Rensselaer Plateau late this afternoon to do a little more exploring around Cherry Plain State Park and the Capital District Wildlife Management Area.  A biting wind and cool temps were certainly keeping it feeling much more wintry than our recent spring weather, especially at these higher elevations.  With a light snow falling, a short walk from the road brought me first to this unnamed pond in the CDWMA.   Stayed here for a few minutes on the pond's shore, soaking in the serenity. 

 

I decided to park near the State Campground entrance for Cherry Plain(elevation 1403 feet) and walk Pesticide Shack Road up to the North by Northwest Trail, which heads off into the woods following blue blazes.

As I gently ascended through the quiet woods, a snow squall broke out, and within moments picked up in intensity. 

The rugged, dark forest and swirling snow squalls made for an eerily beautiful scene. 

Due to the warm winter and early spring that we've been enjoying the ground was simply too warm for much of the snow to stick.

The high point of this trail is a little over 1800 feet, where a trace of snow could be found in the open hardwoods.

The North By Northwest Trail ends at Dingman Road after nearly 2 miles. One of the nice parts about this area is the abundance of rough gravel roads such as Dingman Road that see little to no traffic, making them ideal for hiking. 

As I strolled along this high elevation road I couldn't help but think that sometimes these dark days are actually the most beautiful.

I completed a loop from Dingman Road to Pesticide Shack Road, which dropped me back down near the state park facilities and my waiting car.  I first took a few moments to check out the tranquil Black River which looked awfully cold on this day.

A local favorite trout fishing stream, the Black River begins its journey from high up on the plateau just north of here, making its way down to East Nassau, where it empties into the Kinderhook Creek.

As I arrived back at the car, the temperature read just 36 degrees with light snow shower activity.  A cool spring day, but nice nonetheless.  Walked about 4 miles RT with over 600 feet of ascent.