Did a short walk at the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance's new 65 acre Gutierrez Family Forest located just past the Robert Ingalls Preserve on Garfield Nassau Road in rural Stephentown on a sunny but cool and breezy afternoon. There is no formal trailhead or parking area so I simply parked on the shoulder of the road and walked down to a kiosk and the start of the Bobcat Loop Trail. (Elevation 985 feet).
The trail is well marked and easy to follow, meandering through a dark, mixed forest and along old stone walls.
The highlight of the trail is where it skirts the edge of a very large wetland, with several pleasant spots to take in water views with the nearby hills as a backdrop.
All in all, it is a nice, new addition to the RPA family of trails, with total mileage just under 1 mile. Appears that this forest, however, is still in its infancy phases with lots of room to grow more trails.
Yes, a work in progress. The area by that kiosk will be a parking area. There is also another trail loop to the east, a few hundred yards along Garfield Road. The Preserve is U-shaped, w/ trail loops on both the eastern and western sections. The intrepid can find the old Stagecoach Road that joins the W and E parts....
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info! I struggled to find any info on the preserve so it is much appreciated! Always nice to have another local go to place!
DeleteThank you, I also was struggling for info.
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