Peebles Island State Park is a decent hiking destination…read more Tip: The difficulty level of the hiking here is easy to moderate While this isn't a good place to head for if you're craving a heavy workout, it's good for some casual outdoor activity. There's signage here to provide info on the area, and there are also some nice views. All in all a pleasant place to visit :-)

First time here. It was beautiful. The trails are easy to navigate and clearly marked. There was a…read morefull parking lot but the trails were not crowded. People were polite and didn't crowd the paths. I can't wait for snow and do a snowshoe hike.

What a beautiful waterfall and trail. I don't think many folks know about it (may actually be a…read moregood thing so it doesn't get overly attracted; but maybe bad for business's around? - unsure). There was free parking across the park, and there was a lot of rich history around this park. Hope to come back when there is possibly a high water wave. Highly recommend.

A classic stop if you live nearby or are driving through! I've been before but it was a whole new…read moreexperience today brining my kids for the 1st time. They were absolutely impressed and got a little exercise with all those stairs! A must see!

Firstly, I love nature, so any well-intentioned effort to preserve nature gets extra love from me…read more Lisha Kill Natural Area is one of the best and most beautiful of the many beautiful parks and reserves in the area. And it also more than lives up to the "natural" in its name because there's vast unspoiled natural elements for many to enjoy and appreciate, including streams, unpaved trails, and hills. Speaking of unpaved, this park is largely not wheelchair accessible, and there's no public restroom that I'm aware of, either in the parking lot or within the park. Regardless of which trail you eventually pick, the first about 0.5 mile has steep hills before you cross a bridge over a small creek to climb up to a decision point. The trails are clearly marked with colours on tree trunks, so staying on marked trails has so far been easy. The parking lot has never been full, so parking has never been an issue. Enjoy!

Right down the street from us, the only old growth forest remaining in the CRUST (Capital Region of…read moreUpSTate New York), Lisha Kill is a semi-public park owned and maintained by the Nature Conservancy and open to the public ten months a year. (It's generally closed in February and March to avoid trail damage). It's a great day hike that can last just an hour or a whole afternoon, dog- and relatively kid-friendly. I avoided reviewing it, I have to confess, to keep it obscure, but now some other Yelper has listed it, I'll have to chime in. NO MOUNTAIN BIKING, no horses, OK? Snowshoeing is OK in winter months when it's open, x-country skiing not a good idea. There are few stands of old growth forest in New York outside of the Adirondacks. This area was originally slated for a connector highway in the 1950's, which would have crossed the Mohawk at Vischer Ferry, but early local conservationists rallied and prevented the project (of dubious usefulness) from coming to fruition. Some of the Eastern white pines and hemlocks in the preserve are over 200 years old; as the name 'old growth' implies, the area of the preserve has never been developed, despite being enveloped by intensive farm, and later suburban, development. The parking is behind the former Niskayuna Grange, previously the Niskayuna/Rosendale school until the early 20th century. This building is owned by the town of Niskayuna, and would be a great little visitor center for the preserve, only there's no money to do it. We're working on it. The building has some interest though as a surviving early school structure. Also note, as you pull in, the garage to your left (privately owned); this is the original Fire House for Fire District Number 3! There are two main loops and one small one, all well-marked. There's a steep downhill at the beginning (which, you got it, is an uphill at the end) that can be treacherous during wet weather. The first left you take is a gradual trail on a plateau, which you can use to dart down to the Lisha Kill (creek) at the end, or make a full loop back on the creek-level trail. Go to Nature.org and look for Lisha Kill to find a trail map. There is also an audio interactive feature available for your smart phone via QR codes at little mini kiosks through the trails, for a self-guided tour of the natural history of the park. The creek runs nicely most of the year, and is at the wading level, although it's pretty rocky for most of its run. Dogs will love this park (please be responsible, etc.), particularly your water-loving hounds. If you care to hike further afield, by crossing Rosendale Rd. at the far end of the Lisha Kill trail system, you can connect up to the "Mohawk State Park" (Niskayuna Town Trails) trail system that leads along the Mohawk river and Lock 7. Or, you can cross over and walk up to Iroquois Middle School, and walk through woods on the other side of the playfields to River Rd. Park, and connect up to the Mohawk State Park trails system on the other side of River Rd. Altogether the parks here form a sort of secret greenspace of over 1000 acres, interrupted only by the houses along Rosendale Rd. If you smoke, or leave litter, in this park I will personally come and find you and rip your soul from your sorry meatbag corpse. Is that clear?

Large park with paved trails, a pond with multiple fountains, tons of benches, two parks for kids,…read moremany pavilions and bathrooms available. A bunch of flat fields people meet at for events and flag football etc. Not tons of shade but enough to keep it enjoyable. Bring water and you will be sure to enjoy!!! :) There has been some concern with suspicious people lurking by parks that's worth mentioning. One lady said she was with the paper and was taking pictures of kids and evaded once questioned. Another man was recently banned for lurking and aggression at the park.

This is a wonderful place for walking, taking children to the wonderful playground and sitting by…read morethe pond. Additionally, there are too many activities and free music concerts to list.

If you're visiting Albany and looking for a place to take a stroll or job, this is like a mini-pine…read morebarrens (similar to what you might see in New Jersey). I would stay to the trails (Madison loop) to minimize the risk of catching ticks. In July 2024, it was pleasant in the early morning hours for a refreshing walk. However, there is not much shade on the walking trails, so it will be blazing hot mid-day. Street parking was relatively easy near the perimeter of the pine bush preserve.

I spent two days in Albany and I visited the Albany Pine Bush Preserve before leaving town. The…read morePreserve is unique and I highly recommend checking it out. You can park in the complimentary spacious lot and then walk over to the welcome center. While it was closed due to Covid, one of the trails (the shortest one) starts there. The shortest trail has information along the way informing you about what a preserve is, conversation efforts, the animals, and the plants that are in the park. Pine brush is different than what you typically see at a park so this was a first for me. It was cool to see how it develops (hint: fire) and learn why this type of habitat is important. There are also longer trails so you can get a workout and see more of the preserve.

Softball practice for my travel team is awesome here! I recommend the playground and swings!read more

I've been here multiple times for parties. They have two pavilions, one with a kitchen and its own…read morebathrooms. They've got a building that's used by the community for events. I really never walked the trails when I've come because I was there for events. With working from home during COVID I've been searching out places for my pup and I to go walk. The park has two trails, one at the north end and one south. The trails run along the Moordenerkill creek. The southern trail has shorter trails leading off of it. There's also a dirt road that seems to be a mile or so long that leads to the Miracle Field (baseball field for disabled people). They've got a new playground and even a dog park for town residents.

We just stopped by and it is so beautiful. Everybody's having a lot of fun. The Skywalk at Corning…read morepreserve is really beautiful. The only thing is they really need to do is put lines in the parking lot. Turns out you can't put videos on this and all my really cool pictures of the Corning preserve were videos. It's really a fun drive it's really nice calm pretty you can smell the fresh air in the river. There's lots of food places downtown to try. It's a nice little day trip.

It is hard to believe that this place doesn't already have a review on Yelp. Also known as the…read more"Corning City Preserve," this park located between I-787 and the Hudson River is a long, narrow place that is perfect for walking above the water or perhaps resting and catching up with friends on one of its many benches. Located on the southern portion is an amphitheater of sorts (named "Jennings Landing") where Alive at Five concerts are held in the summer. A beautiful bridge goes over the train tracks and I-787 to connect this area with downtown Albany. There is also a couple of small ponds, a playground area for the children, and open spaces for Frisbee or picnics. The "Mohawk Hudson Hike-Bike Trail" continues north from here. I find driving into the area a little confusing as Quay Street is one-way only and you have to be heading north on I-787. I find it much easier to park at the free lots on Water Street and walk in. Just a word of caution... It can get a bit dark at night and there are some "regulars" who stay here throughout the night.

Serene little spot in the Catskills of upstate New York. Perfect place to enjoy nature on the…read moretrails or on their surprisingly large lake. My girlfriend and I spent a few hours here on a Sunday afternoon in May. If you rent a boat you can keep it out as long as you want, and you have access to the whole property for the entire day. We spent awhile in kayaks and had the whole lake to ourselves for the entire time. We then spent some time down at the swimming hole and had that to ourselves as well. Everyone who works there was incredibly friendly and helpful. Beautiful day overall and the perfect end to a perfect weekend getaway.

Oh what a magical experience. My boyfriend Tom and I kayaked the lake that the owner Jim so kindly…read moreadvised us of all the animal population. Birds, turtles, fish, beaver dams. It was so wonderful we came back a second day, and took use of the grounds by the swimming hole. You truly felt like you were on another planet. It was amazing and will revisit!

Work and the world are once again conspiring against me so I took to the natural world to heal. Two…read moreweeks prior, I decided to take up creek fishing and bought rods and tackle thinking that'd be a relaxing hobby. A half a day fishing and a half a day exploring and set up a click below the fly fisherman under the tressel and watched him pull one in after the next. So I stopped fishing and found the water that feeds the creeks which comes off the mountains and I heard the Catskill average between 50 and 60 inches a year of rainfall. I dropped that early rain data number here so I can feel, just for a moment that I'm kinda smart and stuff. Actually, the fine folks at Greene County visitors center dropped that on me earlier in the year. So as I'm walking the shoots sipping on an Ascension pilsner (Catskill Brewery) pup-a-lup in tow, I'm watching the trees sway too and fro as the wind was blowing with voracious gusts. I set my fishing gear again and reread the water, watching those little fast eddys where the Brook Trout like to wait behind a rock, the easiest place to snag food, but no nibbles - not the Shad, Striped Bass, Walleye nor the Herring - all indigenous fishies. But the trees are watching me and I can tell they feel my love of all natural things, it exudes from every pore and I smile at the happy Hemlock with respect to say "I'm in your world and I'll leave it better than I found it". The Beech and Birch liked this answer and whispered to the Maple that humanoid embraces the Creeks code of honor and respect - not so sure about that big thing on four legs accompanying him tho. I did receive what I came for which is to say that the coolness to ease my mind, my body and my soul rolled over me and took me away and it won't be long till we meet again.