Bozen Kill Preserve(Town of Guilderland, Albany County)

This is why I love fall.  A picture perfect October day, and a couple of free hours to take my one year old out for a walk on the original trails(the lower trails) at the Bozen Kill Preserve near Altamont.  Parked at the trailhead along Westfall Road, and was surprised to be the only car in the lot on such a gorgeous day.

As always, my son's favorite part of any hike is when we encounter water of any kind, and today there would be plenty.  We checked out the small, but pretty falls on the Bozen Kill, just off of the blue blazed trail.

The woods are stunning right now, draped in autumn glory.

We followed the blue, white and red trails, all the way to the red trail's terminus at the Bozen Kill.

A short, but stunning time of the year, with picturesque scenery all around you in the woods.  A glimpse south through the thinning foliage across the deep ravine carved out by the Bozen Kill.

An absolutely delightful day for a walk in the woods!  Covered roughly 2.6 miles total on the lower trails at the preserve.  Truly hard to beat days like this.  

Nott Road Park(Town of Guilderland, Albany County)

Took advantage of a small window of time this morning and did a quick walk with my one year old on the Nature Trail at Nott Road Park in Guilderland.  Started on the unmarked path along Blockhouse Creek, a tributary of the Normans Kill.

A bit further along, I checked out the larger Normans Kill.

Followed the red blazes of the Nature Trail, as we made our way through the quiet autumn woods.

We walked about 3/4 of a mile, including a walk along the park road, with almost zero elevation change.  A perfect little walk with my little guy on an overcast fall morning. One note, this park seems popular with dog walkers and has a large dog park, but all animals were well behaved.

Murphy Vly and Murphy Lake No Name Cliffs(Wilcox Lake Wild Forest-Adirondacks)

 Headed up into the Adirondacks to do some exploring to Muphy Vly and an impressive set of No Name Cliffs, just east and above Muphy Lake in a quiet corner of the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest.  Parked at campsite off of Pumpkin Hollow Road(Elevation 1395 feet), about 1.1 mile past the trailhead for Murphy Lake and quickly picked up a hunters path, heading south.  The path is obvious and in very good condition making it quite easy to follow.

An easy rock hop crossing over  Doig Creek on the hunters path. 

The path continues past Doig Creek for a spell, heading more easterly, before petering out in a notch between Freds Mountain and Pine Mountain.  From there, I picked up on again/ off again herd path's here and there but it was a pretty straightforward bushwhack SE towards Murphy Vly.

Arriving at the west shore of Murphy Vly, with a view SE.

I circled around the north end of the vly, contouring my way to the more scenic east shore and stellar views from a beaver dam.

Explored a small point on the Vly, which had a nice clearing and would make a fantastic lunch spot.

Looking west across the Vly, with fall's fleeting colors on the opposite shoreline.

I explored the entire distance of the eastern side of the Vly, taking in numerous scenic water views, including this was to the NW.  This entire area feels a million miles away from everything and makes a wonderful destination on its own.

After finally leaving the Vly, I continued on, basically bushwhacking south, staying on the eastern slopes above the outlet stream, remaining in open hardwoods.

After about 6/10 of a mile, I began to head SE up the unnamed hill east of Muphy Lake.  The climbing was gentle at first but got much more aggressive near the cliffs, with a sheer drop off and a series of ledge bands.  At about 1900 feet, I arrived at a small, but impressive cliff and viewpoint.  The view takes in Murphy Lake and Sturgis Mountain above to the west.

From a second, slightly larger ledge, I found a broad view south towards Middle Lake and the Great Sacandaga Lake beyond.

Zoom view of the Great Sacandaga with fall colors ablaze.

From the same ledge, looking SW towards Cathead , Wallace and Three Ponds Mountains in the distance.

A short, easy bushwhack brought me up to the 2050 foot summit above the No Name Cliffs.

Heading back down, I  poked around the cliffs and found many views-some good, mostly filtered, but all featuring a nearly vertical drop down towards the lake.

Enormous cliff bands dot this small peak.

Back down on the trail by Muphy Lake, found some very good views back east towards the No Name Cliffs.

After leaving the lake, I followed the blue blazed DEC trail through the woods heading north/ northeast, where I passed by a couple of day hikers and a group of mountain bikers.

After an uneventful but pleasant 3.2 miles on the trail, I arrived back at Pumpkin Hollow Road and the trailhead for Murphy Lake.  From there, I walked a little over a mile east on the road, and back towards my car.

After the quiet road walk, where I didn't see another soul, I arrived back at the campsite and my waiting car, thankful for a wonderful day in the woods.   Covered a total of about 7.3 miles of combined herd path, bushwhack, marked trail and road walk, with 850 feet of climbing.

Map below.  Blue P=Parking.     Red Star=Murphy Vly.      Blue Stars=Cliffs over Muphy Lake

Cole Hill State Forest(Town of Berne, Albany County)

Headed up into the Albany County hill towns with my youngest son today to walk a section of the Long Path in the Cole Hill State Forest on a highly changeable weather day.  Parked at an unmarked State Forest pull off(Elevation 1540 feet) along Cole Hill Road(CR 2) and headed west past a kiosk on the Long Path.  The trail through this stretch remains fairly level, with only slight ups and downs as it makes its way to a  pretty bridge crossing.

We took a few minutes to enjoy the water views before eventually continuing on, past stone walls along the edge of the wetland.

Stream crossing.

Heading SW along the Long Path near Willsie Road.

Even under an overcast sky, the fall colors were quite vibrant, especially near the wetlands.

Avenue of the Pines.

One last glimpse at the wetland before crossing back over the footbridge.

This spot is usually very scenic, but a quick hitting storm was rapidly approaching, with strong winds and dark clouds rushing in, making the wetland somewhat less picturesque.

Scooped up my son and scampered back the last hundred yards or so as the skies opened up.  We escaped mostly dry, covering about 2 miles RT.   Oddly enough, about five minutes later blue skies returned and any rain was long gone.

Dunham Reservoir(Grafton Lakes State Park-Town of Grafton, Rensselaer County)

Did a little hike with my one year old at Grafton Lakes State Park up on the Rensselaer Plateau on an overcast but comfortable October morning.  I parked along Route 2(Elevation 1420 feet) at the unmarked trailhead for the Gartlers Trail and headed south through the open meadows, with foliage popping down below in the wetlands.  The fall colors are actually progressing quite nicely at these higher elevations.

The Gartlers Trail crosses the open fields before entering a picturesque woodland, ablaze in a myriad of fall color.

Nearing the Reservoir, the trail offers up a gorgeous view of the Quacken Kill.

The placid Quacken Kill, surrounded by fall foliage.

The trail eventually arrives at Johnson Road, a seasonal dirt access road, which provides direct access to the Dunham Reservoir.  This was my turn around spot for the day, as light rain and ominous skies became more threatening.  

A uneventful, but tranquil walk back on the Gartlers Trail brought me back to my car as the rain thankfully held off. Unfortunately all of the recent wet weather meant that the trail was in a general wet state anyway, so no way to avoid muddy boots.  Covered about 2.5 miles total on a nice fall day.