Albany-Hudson Electric Trail(Town of Schodack, Rensselaer County)

Oh, what a spectacular stretch of November weather we've had!  I finally had a little free time on Tuesday, to get out and soak in some of the sun filled, 70 degree days that we've been enjoying this past week.  My wife joined me for a nice walk on a section of the brand new Albany-Hudson Electric Trail, which is part of the larger state wide Empire State Trail project.  The trail is a shared bicycle and pedestrian pathway that follows an old trolley line that ran from Hudson to Albany back in the early 1900's.  The section we chose to walk today was from Miller Road(Exit 10 off I-90) to Nassau Lake, in the town of Schodack.  We spotted a car at the Nassau Lake trailhead and caught a ride out to Miller Road to get started.  

Our walk began here, hugging the Exit 10 ramp along the interstate, staying high above it on the hillside. 

Fear not, for the sounds of rushing traffic are quickly replaced by the quiet serenity of the woods.  Heading SE, we soon passed by a small, serene pond.

The peaceful stretch of trail beside the pond.  Even spotted an old, beat up rowboat in the water.

We really couldn't have asked for better conditions.  A very light breeze, no humidity, and temps in the low 70's.  Perfect.  Many others must have felt the same way because we saw numerous other folks out enjoying the trail.

A short distance into the walk, we came to the first road crossing at Reno Road, which was well marked for both trail users and traffic.

One of the nice parts of this section of trail is that within minutes of any road crossing, you find yourself back in the woods, or passing through wide open meadows such as this.

The trail remains almost completely level throughout, with just a couple of gentle inclines along the way.  The surrounding landscape is decidedly country, with just a handful of back yards and roads along this 5+ mile stretch.

A small crossing over a tributary of the Moordener Kill.

A bit further along, near East Hill Road, we came to this very impressive, sturdy bridge crossing over the  main branch of the Moordener Kill.

The Moordener Kill quietly passing through a shaded, residential area.  Just a short distance beyond here, the creek passes through the Schodack Town Park before eventually emptying into the Hudson River near the village of Castleton on Hudson.

The days are quickly growing shorter, with sunsets that seem to sneak up out of nowhere.  Passing beneath this power line crossing near Rice Road, we knew our afternoon was nearing its end.

An old concrete railroad marker near Nassau Lake.

Finally, after nearly five and a half miles, we arrived at our spotted car along the west shore of Nassau Lake. 

Informative trail signage(both front and back) can be found at the Nassau Lake Trailhead, as well as at various spots along the trail.

Walked just under 5.5 miles total with a just a couple hundred feet of elevation gain on this glorious early November day.  We were both very impressed with the work done on this trail, and it seems quite popular already, among bikers and pedestrians alike.  We look forward to checking out some other sections of the trail soon.  A map can be seen below, featuring the section of trail we walked.  A red, circled #1 is where we began, and a red, circled #2 was our finish.