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.

The rose gardens here are stunning, and I wasn't even visiting during peak blooming season! The…read moregrounds are kept up very nicely. The best part is that it's free and hardly any people.

I was here for an event and boy was it busy. Baseball games all over the place and kids running…read morearound. Very large park with tons of parking. Signage isn't great so you definitely need to know where you're going.

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.

Nice walk that very quickly takes you to a cute little stream. I will come back just to play in…read morethe stream one day soon. Nice walk through the woods with access to the water multiple times. Saw dogs and kids playing in the water at various points. Very quiet in sections and you forget how close you are to everything. There are exposed roots etc so not fully an "easy" walk but it is a fairly gentle walk.

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!

Beautiful flowers, great layout and the area was much bigger than I expected. I went in mid June on…read morea Sunday and surprisingly it was quite busy but since everything is spaced out so well, it didn't feel too crowded. A must see!

Oh, so fragrant! If you enjoy gardening, or even if you simply enjoy looking at gardens, this…read morelocation is worth a visit. A beautifully landscaped corner of the park that is easily accessible with street parking at the corner of Wright Street and Central Parkway. All of the rose beds have labels to identify the planted variety and there are a number of benches throughout the garden to simply sit and take in beauty of it all. If you enjoy a hands on experience, it is my understanding that there are volunteers who meet on several mornings each week to remove deadheads from the plants. Ahh, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet!

I have logged many-a-mile on this trail over the years; most often between Kiwanis and Aqueduct…read moreParks. I especially enjoy starting near Schenectady Community College - an easy-to-spot local landmark with lots of room to park for group run meet-ups, a small track space perfect for timing splits and speedwork, and plenty of benches and grasses spaces for stretching and chatting before/after a walk, run, bike, or blade. The path varies in flatness, tree cover, nature-views, and frequency of traffic crossing, offering a nice variety for any activity. I've spotted loads of unthreatening wildlife while on the path, including turtles, deer, snakes, ground hogs, beavers, and many different birds, squirrels, and enjoy being near the water and especially stopping at the locks to stretch, rest, or fuel mid-long run, too. [extra garbage cans, tables/benches, and proximity to other humans makes it feel like a safer space to slow, perhaps?] I am hopeful that the Color the Canal project will return for the third year in 2021, which creates visual and sculptural art to welcome the CEC cyclists riding from Buffalo to Albany each July.

My wife and I walked the portion between Watervliet and Albany recently and it was a pretty nice…read moretrail. Much of it was in the woods along an old railroad right-of-way, so there were plenty of trees providing shade. A couple of clearings allowed for sightlines of the expressway but it wasn't too noisy. One area had a bench, picnic table, and informational display about the location of the old Troy Iron Works. A few areas had cutaways in the trees for sightlines to the river. I wish there was more to see or do along the trail, and it would have been appreciated to have some more benches or tables or whatnot to rest on. But, the area in Watervliet where the parking lot is had a couple of tables.

Great place to bring your dogs lots of space, fenced in yard, lights that turn on by motion, poop…read more scoops on site and a waste station to place the dog waste. Water bowls and toys are available for dogs to play with. Nice atmosphere with great people. Park is kept clean and has a fire pit and a shed to shield from winter storms. Chairs to sit in as well.

Great place to let your dog stretch our for a while on a cold winter night! Warm, clean and…read morewelcoming - both the environment and staff! Glad to have it for playdates and the pups there for daycare seem to love it and are safe.

From the owner: Doggy daycare and an indoor dog park run by veterinary professionals. Our space is clean,…read moreregulated, and safe for dogs to play. During dog park hours, dog owners get to hang out and lounge while their pups play.