The Albany Pine Bush Preserve is one of Upstate New York and the Capital District’s most well-known and loved preservation areas. With sections of it dotted across the landscape between the cities of Albany and Schenectady, you can always be sure to find fellow nature lovers out there taking advantage of the hiking, bicycling, and educational resources available to all. We come to the Pine Bush very often, and this visit, we found ourselves along the Karner Barrens East Trail.
Located in the hamlet of Delmar just south of Albany is the wonderful and discreet Van Dyke Spinney Preserve. This lovely preserve offers a much needed place of respite from daily life. It gives you a chance to get into the woods and hear the babbling waters from a creek.
It’s been a really hot summer, but we didn’t want to allow that to keep us from what we love the most; traipsing through green lush forests. So, we took advantage of the long summer days and waited until the evening before heading to the lovely Fox Preserve in upstate New York. It recharged our batteries and gave us new strength to face the weekday routine.
When one thinks of Ikaria, the lovely and remote Greek island, one thinks of pebble beaches, craggy mountainsides, and meandering roads. Tucked away, however, in the middle of the island lies a rare gem; the old, rare, and protected Randi Forest that visitors can hike to.
About an hour south of Albany is a wonderful Preserve tucked away in the back corner of Albany County, New York. The Huyck Preserve offers its visitors hiking, swimming, picnicking, and just respite from the daily grind. This preserve is quite large and, as such, visitors can find themselves some privacy and really feel connected to their natural world.
We were visiting family in Charlotte and were searching for something fun to do with our 2 year old son. Hands down, the Reedy Creek Nature Center, Park, and Preserve was the most fun we had while visiting this beautiful city. From a playground, to a nature center, to hiking trails, to archaeological ruins, this park has it all. And I can honestly say that there is something here for everybody.
With the end of fall approaching, we took what might have been the last beautiful, sunny, and warm day and headed out west to hike the Vroman’s Nose Loop Trail just west of Middleburgh in upstate New York. The leaves brightly displayed the glorious fall colors only seen in this part of the country at this time of year, and the sun warmed us up to allow us to focus on the beauty that was all around.
A warm fall means lots of outdoor time and this time round, we went to the Schiffendecker Farm Preserve in Bethlehem, New York. We got to traverse over several small bridges, see some water rush by, hear the birds, and spot an old apple orchard. Overall, we had a lovely time, and we were wearing shorts in October; a relatively new phenomenon for us here in upstate New York.
We wandered up to the Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve in Clifton Park, NY, to see what kind of wildlife we could spot. We really hit the jackpot! From birds to turtles to flowers, there is so much to see in this nature preserve that hugs the Mohawk River and Old Erie Canal.
We’ve been having some really beautiful and warm fall days this year here in Upstate New York. As a person who tends to hibernate all winter, this extension of summer, as my husband calls it, is allowing us a bit more time to wear shorts and tromp through the woods. We spent a beautiful morning hiking along the Vlomankill Trail at Five Rivers and have some pictures to prove it!