Rensselaer Tech Park Southern/ Cascades Trails(Town of North Greenbush, Rensselaer County)

Tucked between the Hudson River to the west, the city of Troy to the north, and the hustle and bustle of the Rensselaer Tech Park and nearby traffic on Route 4 to its east, sits an expansive wooded trail network filled with cascading streams, ravines and surprising solitude.  I took advantage of a rare window of free time this morning to visit the Tach Park's southern trails off of Stone Clay Road, on a beautiful summer day.  Even though it was a Tuesday, I was shocked to be the only car in the lot as I set out on the orange blazed trail.

I followed the trail west across Stone Clay Road, and into the woods, eventually meeting up with the highly scenic Cascades Trail.  A babbling brook accompanies you for much of this trail, with several picturesque cascades making for a pleasant stroll.

I followed the Cascades Trail west to its terminus, where it spills out onto railroad tracks, which run north/ south along the Hudson River.  I turned left here, headed south, along the tracks for about 1/3 of a mile until I saw the orange blazes of the South Trail drop down from the woods.

Back in the woods, the orange trail climbs steeply up  away from the tracks, winding its way through ravines, heading generally east back to the car.  The woods remained peaceful and quiet the entire hike,

Covered about 3.3 miles total with 350 feet of elevation gain along the way.  A Rensselaer County gem.