Poestenkill Community Forest(Poestenkill, Rensselaer County)

Did an easy after work walk at the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance's 436 acre Poestenkill Community Forest, which sits high up on the Rensselaer Plateau in the town of Poestenkill.  Elevations generally run between 1300 and 1600 feet at the Forest, meaning foliage should be moving along nicely.  Got started directly across Legenbauer Road from the parking area on the Little Beaver Bog Trail, where a fresh run of crushed stone made for nice walking.  The golden ferns trail side only enhanced the ambiance.

I wandered around on various trails, taking my time, enjoying the solitude.  At one point, I was even startled by an owl that flew down out of a nearby tree, but I wasn't quick enough to get his picture.  Here's a quiet stretch of the Moose Trail, which is the longest of all  the trails in the trail system here.

Many old woods roads and stone walls can be found throughout these woods such as Sugar Rock Road, pictured below, in the NE section of the property.

The highlight of the day was the view across Big Beaver Bog, where the foliage was dazzling. 

The trail offers only limited views, but there is one scenic overlook, directly over the heart of the bog.

The colors were so vivid that I decided to get down close to get a better look and I almost got dizzy from the sheer brilliance of all the red.

Back in the woods, a carpet of ferns blankets the forest floor along a section of the Hemlock Swamp Trail.

Take your best shot..with an acorn.

A nice and easy 3 miles total on a comfortably nice, cloudy fall afternoon.