Saratoga Spa State Park

Headed up to Saratoga Spa State Park with Kalli on a mild but mostly cloudy, grey December day.  We parked at the southern picnic area along Geyser Loop Road and began our walk along beautiful Geyser Creek.

 There are a seemingly endless amount of trails throughout the park, some marked some not.  Here is view along the Geyser Trail.

 Walking along Geyser Creek on a wide, open path.

 There are several foot bridges over the creek to allow access to either side.

Headed towards the springs.

 Island Spouter with informational board.

 Just upstream from Island Spouter is this small dam along Geyser Creek.

 Leaves stuck in the tufa.

 Calcium Carbonate or Tufa colored orange from iron.

 Crashing water.

 Looking down the gorge from the SPAC entrance foot bridge high above.

Enjoyed a very leisurely stroll on another mild day.  Walked a little under 2 miles total on the Geyser Trail and various park roads.

Schiffendecker Farm Preserve(Bethlehem)

It was simply much too nice outside today to not get out for a small walk after work.  On my way to do some Christmas shopping, I stopped off at 39 acre Schiffendecker Farm Preserve located in the hamlet of Glenmont, in the town of Bethlehem.  The property was the site of the former Schiffendecker Farm from the 1800's and was given to the Conservancy in 2007.  A small parking lot is found on the north side of Bender Lane, which can be accessed off Route 32(Delmar Bypass).

 Just beyond the kiosk at the trail head are a set of steps heading down a small hill.  This is the start of the preserve's main trail, marked with yellow blazing.

 A small, unnamed tributary of the Normans Kill winds quietly through the preserve.

 A sturdy foot bridge along the yellow trail crosses the small creek.

 Hazy sunshine shrouded in clouds.

 The contours of the land can be easily made out this time of year.

 Although the preserve is fully surrounded by a hardwood forest, the sites and sounds of suburbia are almost constant.  Along the east end of the red trail there is even a clear view of Lowe's.

 Wal Mart's parking lot and building can be easily seen through the bare trees as well.

 There are three small marked trails at the preserve, with only slight elevation change along the way.

Walked a bit over a mile total on an another unseasonably mild December day.  Hard to complain with mid December temperatures in the upper 50's.

Stratton Mountain(Vermont)

Got an early start this morning, heading north towards Vermont on what was forecast to be yet another dry, above average December day.  As I drove north past a quiet Petersburg farm, I pulled off the side of Route 22 to capture this shot of a thick layer of fog burning off in the Taconics.

 Continuing north onto Route 7 in Vermont, I got off Exit 3 in Arlington and headed northeast through the small hamlet of Kansas, eventually arriving at Kelley Stand Road.  Kelley Stand Road is a seasonal road and not maintained between November 1st and June 1st, meaning it may be inaccessible for many of the winter months.  Due to the delay of any winter weather, howver, the road was passable even for my low clearance sedan.  The road is very picturesque and provides access to many recreational opportunities.  Here is a nice shot of Beebe Pond from a shoulder of the road.

 Continuing east, the trail head is found just after a bridge crossing of the East Branch of the Deerfield River in a large parking lot on the north side of the road.  Although a sign indicates 3.4 miles to the summit here, it is actually 3.8 miles(as indicated on trail signage at the caretaker's cabin).

Crossing a small beaver pond outlet on puncheon.

 The trail soon crosses a snowmobile trail corridor.

  Snow was found along nearly the entire trail in any areas without southern exposure.

 The climb is steady but never steep.

A small clearing in the trees provides a glimpse to the south towards Grout Pond and Somerset Reservoir. 

The trail continues a gradual ascent towards the summit, but is never too demanding.  It is somewhat surprising that you ascend over 1700 feet and soon arrive at a white caretaker cabin.

 Just past the cabin is the 55 foot fire tower at the 3936 foot summit.  From the ground level there are no views to be had.

 The fire tower cab unfortunately provided no views.

 Looking down through cab door at the wintry steps.

 The view from the fire tower on a clear day is supposed to be incredible.  Today, however, wind blown snow was making any long distant views nearly impossible.

 Heavy wintry frost on the fire tower.

 A view to the south with the heavy wind driven snow blowing around.

 A brief clearing to the west allowed for nice views and blue skies.

 Looks like a Christmas tree to me.

 Clearing skies just before the next snow burst obscured the view again.

Waited a little while in hopes of clearing skies but to no avail.  Finally decided to turn back after about 15 minutes at the summit. 

 Retraced my steps back down off the mountain, making good time.  A large beaver pond is found just off the trail about .6 of a mile before the parking area.

Arrived back at the car after 7.6 miles RT.  Only saw one other hiker the entire day.
Driving back along Kelley Stand Road, I stopped by the beautiful Roaring Branch, which closely hugs the road much of the way.

Another warm December day.  Great day out in the woods.

North Woods Nature Preserve/ Peter Desrochers Memorial Country Knolls Trails(Clifton Park)

Clifton Park may not be anyone's idea of a wild nature getaway, but one thing that the town does and does well is offer plenty of green space for outdoor recreation.  I visited a couple of small natural areas after work today in the Country Knolls neighborhood, just west of exit 10 off the northway.  My first stop was North Woods Nature Preserve located on the south side of Shadow Wood Way just west of Forest Drive.  The trail head is located between two houses on this residential street and can be easily missed.  Parking is along the side of the street on the curb.

The town of Clifton Park acquired the 81 acre property in 2001.

 The blue marked trail heads away from the road and passes by several backyards.

 Followed the blue marked trail south through a hardwood forest.

The blue trail shortly leads to the old Village of Round Lake Reservoir where a sturdy foot bridge crosses the outlet near a bench.

 The former Village of Round Lake Reservoir makes a peaceful spot to stop and rest.

Another footbridge crossing the inlet to the pond.

 The blue trail forms a complete loop around the pond with both the yellow and green trails branching off.  I decided to take the green trail, which heads uphill away from the pond to the south.  It continues west, paralleling the pond's inlet offering nice views.

The green marked trail passes along the walls of a small ravine.

 The green trail eventually turns north and meets back up with the yellow marked trail.  Here, the yellow trail leads along a steep drop off.

 As I explored the yellow trail, skies began clearing, allowing for sunshine to break through.

 The late afternoon sun brightening up the bare woods.

Hiked a little less than a mile and a half total.  On my way way back towards Ushers Road, I stumbled across the Peter Desrochers Memorial Country Knolls Trails along Wood Dale Road.  Again, parking is along the side of the road along the curb where a kiosk and map are found.

 Trail map.

A trail quickly drops down to the banks of Knolls Hollow Brook with the sun quickly setting in the sky.

 Knolls Hollow Brook.

 There are a series of color coded trails that meander throughout the woods with footbridges conveniently placed at each water crossing.

Did a couple of loops through the woods through the shallow hollows and hill tops. Here is the view over Knolls Hollow from the white marked trail.

The early sunset chased me back to the car a little after 4pm, completing another one mile here and about 2.5 miles total for the day.