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Activities Estate Hiking New York Rural Sightseeing United States

The Perfect Fall Day at Olana State Historic Site, upstate New York

The Perfect Fall Day at Olana State Historic Site

We visited Olana State Historic Site, the estate of artist Frederic Edwin Church, on the most perfect fall day. It was the exact moment of the fall season where the colors were the brightest, and we had such beautiful weather.  We hiked along the Lake Road up to the top of Crown Hill, then from the farm to the main house via the Farm Road and North Road.  Olana and Clermont have always been personal favorites of mine.  Our family has visited these sites so many times over the past several decades. And in the fall, it is the best place for leaf peeping in Upstate New York.

The Perfect Fall Day at Olana State Historic Site
Olana State Historic Site in upstate New York
The Perfect Fall Day at Olana State Historic Site
The view from Lake Road at Olana.
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Activities Hiking New York Rural United States

A January Walk at the Christman Sanctuary

January Walk at the Christman Sanctuary
Christman Sanctuary in upstate New York

It was a 45 degree day outside (very odd in January!) so we went and spent some time at the Nature Conservancy’s Christman Sanctuary.  Nestled in Delanson just west of the Capital District is a nature sanctuary with a wonderful little set of trails and a large waterfall.  Our hike was cut short due to poor walking conditions, but it was so lovely to see the sanctuary at this time of year.  

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Activities Hiking New York United States

The Swift Wetland Preserve in Winter

The Swift Wetland Preserve
Swift Wetland Preserve in upstate New York

It was a mild winter day, and we decided to take another walk in a local wetland preservation area.  We visited the Swift Wetland Preserve, a small nature conservation area in Delmar, New York, and for just a little while, we were able to get away from it all.

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Activities Hiking New York Rural United States

A Winter Walk at the Lewis A. Swyer Preserve in Stuyvesant, New York

A Winter Walk at the Lewis A. Swyer Preserve
Lewis A. Swyer Preserve in upstate New York

We had a mild winter’s day, and wanted to give our year and a half old son some fresh air.  So, we decided to take him for a walk along the boardwalk at the Lewis A. Swyer Preserve.  We had a beautiful winter walk that heightened the senses and energized the whole family.  Even on a winter’s day, it was a wonderful way to spend some family time together and be closer to the nature that we love so very much.

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Activities Children New York Rural Sightseeing United States

Art Omi, Oh My! The Fields Sculpture Park

art omi - picker sculpture
"Picker Sculpture" by Dewitt Godfrey

I love art and because of that, I’m trying to get my son exposed to art from an early age.  We have been to several museums, but it gets tricky with a one year old.  This is especially true because we don’t want to inadvertently ruin the museum experience for anybody else.  This is where Art Omi comes in to save the day.  There is art and it is outside. Win and win!  My son can run around all he likes, scream, and be fascinated with the giant sculptures scattered throughout the grounds, and it won’t ruin anybody else’s own personal art experience.

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Activities Hiking New York Rural United States

Leaves and Trees at the Stewart Preserve

stewart preserve
Can you spot the little tree frog?

I love walking in the woods in the fall.  There’s something about the smell of leaves in crisp, cool air that revitalizes my senses.  We visited the Stewart Preserve on a nice fall day.  Though the sun was mostly hidden behind clouds, when it did decide to peek out, the forest glowed. We will definitely be returning to this beautiful place in the early spring to see what else it has to offer.

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Activities Hiking New York Rural United States

Golden Fall at the Holt Preserve in upstate New York

holt preserve
Holt Preserve in upstate New York

Our little weekend adventures to the various preserves in our area have been one of the most wonderful things that we have started doing since our son was born.  Our initial intent was to get our son out of the city and into the woods.  Now, I see that it’s not just about getting him outside, but it’s for ourselves as well.  It keeps things in perspective to get out of the daily chaos into a quieter place.  This allows us to focus on the little things that matter, like the changing of the colors of the leaves, or the sound of a raven in the distance.

With that in mind, we visited the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy’s Winifred Matthews Holt Preserve in New Scotland, in upstate New York. It is my favorite Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy preserve to date, and that’s saying a lot.

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Activities Hiking New York Rural Sightseeing United States Waterfall

The R.T.M.B.A. Lower Waterfall and Ale Trail in the Catskill Mountains of New York

R.T.M.B.A. Waterfall Trail Ale Trail
R.T.M.B.A. Waterfall and Ale Trail. in upstate New York

We decided to try a short little hike in the Catskills that we found using our AllTrails app that promised a waterfall along Kiskatom Brook, and stumbled onto a large network of trails created and maintained by the Round Top Mountain Bike Association (R.T.M.B.A.).  The R.T.M.B.A. is working on providing riders with more mountain trails, and connecting local businesses in the process.  

We found this little walk along the Lower Waterfall Trail and Ale Trail to be a lot of fun.  With so many interconnecting trails, you really have a lot of flexibility when choosing your path.  For such a short walk, the waterfall was totally worth it.  However, now knowing that the trails were created for mountain bikes, next time I return it will be with a bike.

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Activities Hiking New York Rural United States

Early Autumn at the Bennett Hill Preserve in upstate New York

Bennett Hill Preserve
Bennett Hill Preserve in upstate New York

Continuing our day trip hiking adventures, we visited the Bennett Hill Preserve in upstate New York on a gorgeous crisp fall day.  The leaves were just starting to change for autumn, gently padding the path, and the sun was shining brightly. It was a perfect day.

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Activities Hiking New York Rural United States

Winn Preserve in the Early Fall

Decide Your Adventure - Winn Preserve in the Early Fall
Sunlight in the early fall makes the leaves glow along the trail.

We visited the Winn Preserve on a perfect day.  The temperature was in the mid-60s, the air was crisp, the sun was shining, and the leaves were changing color all around us.  It was also the first time our son put his boots on the ground and “hiked” on the trail with us! Okay, so he didn’t hike the whole thing, but he did walk a stretch of the trail and loved every second!

Decide Your Adventure - Winn Preserve in the Early Fall
My little boy getting his hiking feet on the ground .♥
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