Saratoga Spa State Park(Saratoga Springs, Saratoga County)

Decided to do a little exploring at some of the popular and not so popular spots at the 2379 acre Saratoga Spa State Park while in the Saratoga area this afternoon.  Following the last couple days of rain and snow, cloudy and cool conditions persisted even today, but being a weekend, there were still lots of folks out enjoying the park.  I parked in the first parking area along the shoulder of East West Road, just east of Route 50 and headed into the woods on the north side of the road, starting on the blue blazed Wetland Trail(also yellow blazed Five Mile Trail). This trail soon meets up with orange blazes of the Peerless Trail, which I followed up to the Geyser Creek Trail.  About this time is when I started hearing other voices and running into more people out walking.  Even with the amount of people on the trail here, the sections of the trail that follow Geyser Creek are definitely my favorite.

Stopped by the water's edge to check out one of the several bridges that cross Geyser Creek.

Typical spring conditions persist, with water pooling in low lying areas .

One of the most impressive sites to see here at the park is the Geyser Island Spouter, which sends a narrow plume of water 10 to 15 feet in the air.

The Geyser Creek Trail follows red blazes and runs for nearly 3 miles throughout the park.

As a result of the recent wet weather, there are many sections of the trails that are now quite muddy. 

Although I knew this was a popular park, I was a bit surprised by the amount of people out hiking, jogging or dog walking on such a dreary day.  That all changed drastically however, when I headed to the south side of East West Road to explore the Wetland Trail.  I instantly had the woods to myself, and felt like I was a million miles away from the Geyser Creek area.

Continuing south, I soon arrived at a wooden overlook of a large, picturesque wetland.

Just as I arrived at the overlook, almost on cue, the clouds began to slowly break up, offering my first glimpses of blue sky.  I kept looking around thinking that someone else would be coming, but it didn't happen.  I enjoyed the peaceful scene for several minutes, before continuing on. 

I followed the blue blazed Wetland Trail loop all the way back to the car for a total of about 3.5 miles altogether on various trails.