Nice bench to sit on and view the falls, there are quite a few steps (for those with issues…read moreclimbing stairs). Then another path through the woods (that the park has been updating with new stone and water drainage system) - lots of rolling hills.

This is a cool, out of the way place to explore on a hot day. The trail to the falls is an easy…read morewalk through the woods and the views are terrific. The adjoining park and public pool area is an obscure place, perhaps because the town (Blenheim) has a history of being saddled with disasters (floods and natural gas explosions) during its several hundred year history -- and is quite remote from populated areas. The foot of the falls is loaded with beaver chewed creek wood and fossil bearing rock (great for prospecting with kids) -- and the nearby pools and picnic areas are cheap and clean -- quite sophisticated really. We always stop here to explore with our boys when we are in the area.

Huge park with tons to do! You can easily spend a day or half a day here between the playground the…read moresoccer fields baseball fields and loads of trails leading you to a stream and pond you can fish in! We loved our time here and plan to return. Tons of dog walkers too. Beautiful views and not super busy!!

Plenty of parking. Nicely maintained trails with both field and forest views. There are trail…read moremarkers, but it does get confusing. We wandered into a few dead ends. I used Alltrails but the mapped trail clearly wasn't right either. The pond with a deck is the best part. Look for the decorated rocks hidden along the trail. Leashed dog-friendly.

Wow, what a huge historical museum and tribute to our nations history. Definitely stop and spend…read moretime in this town. The whole story of the troops holding off the British soldiers from that place is amazing. The cemetery is amazing too. You can almost feel the soldiers running up and down the stairs and outside. Loved the cannon balls and to see the hole is pretty neat. I loved the whole area and town has historical homes all along the roadside. Nice shops too!

The Old Stone Fort in Schoharie, NY is one of those places that quietly draws you in with how much…read morehistory it holds. At first glance, it looks like a simple old church, but once you step inside, you realize you're standing somewhere that has witnessed more than 200 years of stories. Built in the 1770s as a German Reformed Church, it was later fortified and turned into a defensive stronghold during the Revolutionary War. You can still spot a cannonball hole in the wall a little visual reminder of how real that history was. The museum complex is spread out beautifully, with several old buildings and scenic grounds that make it easy to wander around at your own pace. Each building feels like a glimpse into a different part of Schoharie's past from farming and school life to vintage machinery and military history. The volunteers here really add to the experience they're kind, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about the history they're sharing. It's the kind of museum that doesn't feel overly polished, but that's exactly what makes it charming. You can sense the age of the wood floors and the craftsmanship in every display. It's quiet, peaceful, and even a little haunting in the best way, especially if you walk through the small cemetery nearby. If you enjoy exploring local history or hidden gems off the main tourist path, the Old Stone Fort is definitely worth a visit. It doesn't take long to go through, but you'll likely leave thinking about how much life and resilience are preserved in those old stone walls.

Before you come here, if you want to hike behind the waterfalls, Indian Ladder Trail is closed…read moreduring the winter and through April due to ice. Other than that, all the trails are open and still fun to hike and enjoy the views. Also the state park is free during off season and much less traffic, which is a bonus. Luckily, I came in late March where most of the snow and ice has melted, and I could explore with regular hiking shoe. I did a loop at the Paint Mine trail. Maybe 2miles total. There are some small waterfalls there, fairly easy loop, no real elevation change. There are a couple overlooks at the park where you can see over the valley. If weather permits, you can see city of Albany at far away with a waterfall on the side. It was very foggy at my first day, so I had to go back again.

Today two friends and I visited the Nature Center to see a wildlife art show/exhibit. There were a…read morevariety of media: photography, felting, ink art, watercolors, acrylics and oil paintings and sculptures. The artists' pieces are beautiful. I was especially impressed with the paintings created on wild turkey feathers. Rarely do I head to Thacher State Park in March...I am so glad we did. I highly recommend viewing this art show now. It is running until March 29th. I look forward to returning to John Boyd Thacher State Park in warmer weather when the trails are open. Truly a treasure!

Such a beautiful place for nature walk. Great place to bring your dog. Serene rivers and benches…read morealong the path to rest and retreat. Parking is right at the start of the trail, I had no problems finding a spot. Definitely check this place out if your looking for a moment to relaxation.

This place is amazing- highly recommend it ! Such a beautiful, scenic and relaxing walk. The path…read moreis in impeccable condition and it is beautifully manicured between natures wildflower landscape. My husband and I as well as our dog loved this path. There is water along the path and beautiful bridges to cross.

This is a sports complex that doesn't allow dogs. Good thing to know before you've driven an hour…read moreand a half to watch your nephew play soccer. We saw a sign at the entrance that said no dogs. Bummer! We were about to leave when a nice person suggested we just go in. She said she does it all the time. So we paid admission and they let us right in. Not bad! We set up our chairs, poured our dog a bowl of water and enjoyed five minutes of the game. Then a volunteer came up and asked us to leave. Someone complained about us having a dog. Oh well. We tried. No bad feelings toward the park or the volunteer, but a little miffed that someone ratted us out. Our dog is a certified therapy dog. 14. Half blind. Quiet. Sweet as heck. That's the point of this review. Don't visit with your dog if getting turned away will be a downer. Why five stars? Why not. We didn't really get to see much of the place. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. Onward.

What a gem. We have been visiting Plotter Kill for over a year and the changing seasonal characters…read moreof the part are just one of the many draws for us. The place is deceptively vast and you could easily get lost in it - not literally and in the most delightful ways. First off, parking is usually no problem since the parking lot fits about 20 vehicles, although there has been one occasion where it spilt over to the main road in the summer. The short trail from the parking lot to the first two forks is gorgeous with tree shade and mostly gravelly than the majority of the trails which are more natural. The creek and the falls are beautiful, although water level can be quite low in the summer and early fall. All in all this is a great park suitable for most people to navigate, and I'm glad for another natural reserve like this.

Gorgeous scenery here, but we had some issues with the trails/trail maps that I suspect weren't…read morecompletely down to my being bad at reading them. What's shown on the map at the entrance doesn't seem to conform to reality, and many trails are very obviously blocked off with warning signs, end in abrupt dead ends, or head off in directions that don't seem to reflect what the map shows. The blue trail on the map brings you past several waterfalls, but the real one seemed to reroute you away from the water and onto a muddy track through the woods heading in the opposite direction. This might have eventually led back in the direction of the falls, but we decided to turn back from when the mud got tough to deal with. To find the interesting bits in my pictures, we went to the first observation point on the blue trail, doubled back to take the bridge to the red trail, then went past there and took the yellow trail to the water before heading back to the parking lot, with a few accidental detours in between. With all of the backtracking and wrong turns I'd guesstimate that we walked a total of about three miles, but if you were more systematic about it you could probably do it under two. However, the short dead-end yellow trail especially was very steep and somewhat challenging for keeping our footing on the downhill, so appropriate hiking/walking shoes are still a good idea. Don't come here in flip flops! All in all this was still totally worth it, but I'd be really happy to learn that they've managed to re-open the trails that have been closed (for safety reasons?) and/or updated the maps to make it a bit easier to hit the scenic highlights.

It's hard to find the start but when you do there is a place to park. At least on the bloomville…read moreside. It's a weird curve you have to try and find. Not well marked and I guess you can just drive onto the trail if your equipped with AWD. The trail is really cool and looks like it's been driven over a lot. However we saw no cars or tractors. Also barely any people. We did 3 miles of the trail before heading back. I looked it up after and it looks like it goes on forever. The terrain is ever changing. Parts have running water on both sides which is really cool. Also the trees perfectly frame the trail. There are even parts through farmland where there is a row of trees on either side but it's in the middle of an open field. Also at one point an off leash dog came onto the trail. It scared us but seemed friendly. I think it came from a neighboring property. Just so you know I wouldn't consider this hiking. It's easy and flat except where it's muddy.

wonderful hiking area! not particularly challenging, it's more of a relaxing area to take the dogs…read morefor a romp