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The following are sample areas listed in the first edition of Natural Areas of Rensselaer County New York. These areas and new areas as well will be included in the revised edition.

UNCLE SAM BIKEWAY

OWNER:City of Troy

IN BRIEF: The Uncle Sam Bikeway features three miles of paved smooth path, with wildflowers, waterfalls, and shale cliffs along the way. It provides excellent walking for handicapped persons and for pushing wheelchairs and strollers.

DIRECTIONS: The Bikeway is located in Lansingburgh and North Troy. There is access from State Route 142 (Northern Drive), from the east end of 124th Street, from Cemetery Road at 119th Street, from Gurley Avenue at 114th Street, from Knickerbacker Park (by walking across the fields to the monument), and from Ingalls Avenue and Middleburgh Street. Handicapped access is best from Route 142, Gurley Avenue, and Cemetery Road.

CAUTIONS & PROHIBITIONS: Children should be watched where streams cross the bikeway as the culverts are high. The Bikeway is in an urban area, and we recommend that you bring a friend along. The Bikeway is closed from dusk to dawn. Do not litter, disturb plants or animals, or build fires. No motorized vehicles are allowed.

DESCRIPTION: The Bikeway is built on an old railroad roadbed and is entirely level, with gentle curves as it follows the contours of the adjacent hill. The roadbed was constructed in 1850-52 by the Troy and Boston Railroad, which was leased to the Fitchburg Railroad in 1887, and in turn to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900. Tracks were dismantled in 1972-73 and the Bikeway was opened in 1981. Oakwood Cemetery is above the path on the hilltop to the east, and the houses of Lansingburgh are just below to the west.

There is a great variety of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers along the trail. Trees include oaks, aspen, cottonwood, sugar maple, black cherry, mulberry, elm, tree-of-heaven, butternut, and locust. There are black walnuts at the Cemetery Road crossing and a hackberry near Gurley Avenue. Shrubs to be seen are both smooth and staghorn sumac, honeysuckle, pussy willow, and chokecherry. Wildflowers such as coltsfoot, celandine, garlic mustard, Jack-in-the-pulpit, and columbine can be found in the spring. Summer wildflowers abound: Joe pyeweed, Queen Anne's lace, chicory, touch-me-not, phlox, giant ragweed, hoary alyssum, false foxglove, and rose. Fall coloring is brilliant due to a large number of different tree species.

At the culvert about one-quarter mile north of the monument at Knickerbacker Park an unmarked trail branches off to the east. This trail leads up through a ravine known as "Devil's Kitchen," past two waterfalls, into Oakwood Cemetery. This cool, moist ravine has many interesting ferns and wildflowers, but parts of this trail network are steep and sometimes slippery. There are great views across the Hudson Valley from the bluff at the top. (See the Oakwood Cemetery description for details.)

From 101st Street south, the Bikeway is no longer in the woods but passes houses and businesses on both sides and is less attractive.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Recreation Department, City of Troy, City Hall, Troy, NY 12180. Telephone: (518) 270-4600.

(above) A Troy and Boston Railroad steam locomotive heads southward toward the Lansingburgh station circa 1875-1880 along the roadbed currently used by the Uncle Sam Bikeway. The train may very well have passed through the Hoosac Tunnel in Massachusetts, the railroad engineering masterpiece of the era.

The wide, gently curving roadbed shows the second Lansingburgh station, constructed circa 1900-1910 just north of 114th Street and Gurley Avenue. This road crossing provides an excellent access to the Bikeway today.

BURDEN POND ENVIRONMENTAL PARK

OWNER:City of Troy

IN BRIEF: Burden Pond Environmental Park is a beautiful area, adversely affected by litter and trail damage from motorized vehicles. It includes a small lake formed along the Wynants Kill by a low dam, and a wide marshland surrounding it. Steep slopes adjoin the valley on all sides. Burden Falls are a short distance upstream.

DIRECTIONS: Follow U.S. Route 4 through South Troy along Mill Street up a hill to where it intersects Campbell Avenue and Delaware Avenue, and you will find the park is at the junction of these streets. Turn (left) up Delaware Avenue beside the pond and park in the lot at the bend in the road where Delaware Avenue becomes Thompson Street. The trail begins at the east side of the parking lot at the wooden posts.

CAUTIONS & PROHIBITIONS: The trails are steep and very slippery in wet weather. Indeed, it is probably not wise to visit here when the ground is soggy. Along the Wynants Kill there are cliffs by the waterfalls, and special care is needed when walking there. We recommend that you keep away from the edges. Burden Pond is in an urban area, and daylight hours are best for a visit. You should bring a friend along. Do not litter, disturb the plants or animals, or build fires.

DESCRIPTION: Burden Pond was formed in the Wynants Kill as early as 1809 to provide water power for the Troy Iron Works downstream. The pond is much smaller than it was in the heyday of Troy's industry. Sediment has been deposited in the pond and filled in some of its area. A substantial portion is now a marsh of cattails, and it is a popular habitat for waterfowl. Ducks, herons, gulls, northern harriers, swallows, and red-winged blackbirds are frequently seen.

Starting from the parking lot at the top of Delaware Avenue one must look among old car bodies and other debris for the posts that mark the beginning of the trail. Fortunately, those who litter are lazy, and further into the park there is little refuse. In addition to the trail down the hill from the parking lot, there is a level trail starting near the dam at the junction of Route 4 (Mill Street) and Campbell Avenue. This trail joins the hill trail near the edge of the marsh. You can walk at least half a mile without climbing the hill on the far side. There are a lot of paths, and we recommend keeping to the right along the edge of the marsh and stream, except for the very first junction where the trail from the dam comes in from the right. The map does not show all unofficial trails at the park that climb the hill to the north of the stream. These trails are frequently used by motor bikes and leave city property, and therefore are not recommended for hiking.

Inevitably the trail leads to the slope, and it is a bit of a challenge in spots. However, the hillside is covered with interesting plants. There is a great variety of trees to be seen: red, white, and chestnut oaks, red maple, box elder, shagbark hickory, American elm, white ash, black cherry, mulberry, and basswood. The shrubs are just as rich and numerous. Spice bushes dot this slope. Among the spring wildflowers are violets, rue anemone, trout lily, early meadow rue, wild geranium, and false Solomon's seal. Summer and fall bring field flowers such as Joe pyeweed, goldenrods, boneset, jewelweed, and asters into bloom. Fall is glorious at Burden Pond with the brilliant colors of the trees seen across the water, and the yellow leaves of spice bush contrasting with the bright red ones of sumac.

On the far slope, do not hike the informal trails to the height of land above, but climb only to the middle level where the path winds along a bluff above the Wynants Kill to Upper and Lower Burden Falls. These are beautiful in every season. In spring the banks are decorated with blooming shadblow, echoing the whiteness of the rushing water. The shaley bluffs are a dry habitat covered with lichens and mosses, in contrast to the wetland nearby. As you walk along the Wynants Kill notice the old water conduit located across the stream, leading from a higher holding area, the former Lower Smarts Pond, down to the powerhouse at the beginning of Burden Pond. The dam impounding Lower Smarts Pond has been breached, and the pond no longer exists.

Burden Pond is an area well worth a visit despite the difficult walking. Trails are not marked, and there is a number of confusing paths, but if you head generally east on the way in and west going out you will be hiking in the correct direction.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Recreation Department, City of Troy, City Hall, Troy, NY 12180. Telephone: (518) 270-4600.

(above) Skating apparently was fine on Burden Pond, at least on a cold, cloudy January 28, 1927, when this photograph was taken.

The weather was perceptively warmer on the early summer afternoon in the early 1900s when this idyllic scene, looking toward the dam and Burden Pond beyond, was captured by a Troy photographer.

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BARBERVILLE FALLS

OWNER:The Nature Conservancy

IN BRIEF: The spectacular ninety-two foot falls of the Poesten Kill at Barberville is one of the most arresting natural features in Rensselaer County. The trail is short and well worth a visit. In addition, there are two longer trails through the woods, one easy and the other more difficult, and both pass through some very beautiful land.

DIRECTIONS: From Troy take State Route 66 southeast through Wynantskill, then turn left on State Route 355 to Poestenkill. Proceed straight at the four-corners onto Plank Road (County Route 40), and proceed for 1.4 miles to Brookside Cemetery. Park on either shoulder of the road, adjacent to the cemetery.

CAUTIONS & PROHIBITIONS: The ninety-two foot falls can be dangerous to climbers. Do not climb on the slippery rocks or lean over the bluffs. Keep a secure hold on children. Be careful when walking along the road as well. No hunting, pets, motor vehicles, bikes, camping, picnics, or fires are allowed. Please do not remove or damage plants, wildlife, or rocks. Please stay on the trails.

DESCRIPTION: The 117 acre area consists mostly of forest and is bisected by the Poesten Kill, including its dramatic waterfall. Parking is not allowed near the falls, so one must park along either side of the road adjacent to the cemetery and walk on about one-quarter mile to the left turn on Ives Corners Road (County Route 79) in Barberville. Cross the bridge over the Poesten Kill, and turn left on a wide path. After a few hundred feet of level trail you come to a steeper section. It is short, and most people can manage it with care. This brings you to an overlook opposite the falls. Either at high or low water it is beautiful. Notice the red shale and the gray Rensselaer grit (graywacke) that forms most of the falls. At low water, notice the glacial pothole. Gray and brown splotches on the rocks are lichens.

The stonework construction at the top is the remains of an old mill. Only the mill foundation, footings for a dam, part of a spillway and one bridge abutment were ever completed. According to local folklore, the project was abandoned because one of the partners in this venture absconded with the unspent funds. Just before the steep section of the trail there is another path to the right. This leads, very steeply, to another spectacular viewpoint at the base of the falls. The stonework now serves as an overlook platform for viewing the top of the falls.

The ridge trail starts 0.1 mile further along Ives Corners Road about half way up the hill. It is on the left opposite the fourth telephone pole up from the corner (counting the shorter pole at the corner of Banner Hill Lane across from the falls trail entrance as number one.) This entrance may be hidden by grass and shrubs in summer, and The Nature Conservancy sign is often vandalized. The trail is marked with red diamonds. This two-mile trail has steep sections, and roots and rocks in the path. It loops along the ridge, crosses Davitt Pond Brook, and descends to the bank of the Poesten Kill before ascending to the starting point.

An incredible variety of wildflowers are in bloom along the way during the summer, and ferns are special in this rich woods. Among the flowers to look for are Canada mayflower, Indian cucumber- root, dwarf ginseng, wild sarsaparilla, early meadow rue, Solomon's seal, false Solomon's seal, wood anemone, trout lily, wake robin, partridge berry, fringed polygala, blue-bead lily, bishop's cap, foam flower, blue cohosh, wild geranium, and cardinal flower. There are club mosses, lichens, and horsetails as well.

An old logging road parallels the Poesten Kill on its west bank for about a mile. To reach this trail along the creek, walk west from the parking spot along the Plank Road several hundred feet to the beginning of the metal guard rail. A trail heads downhill here. The one hundred foot descent to the stream level is gradual and the trail is in good shape. At the bottom you can follow the old road about one-half mile in either direction. This trail is not marked, so note the trail junction. The forest is roofed with a canopy of tall hemlock and pine needles, and beneath them grows an abundance of wildflowers, shrubs, and ferns. Look for painted trillium, lady slipper, blue-bead lily, fringed polygala, and other treasures. There are at least a dozen different ferns growing along this old road. The boulder-filled stream rushing alongside makes the scene idyllic.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Eastern New York Chapter, The Nature Conservancy, 251 River Street, Troy, NY 12180. Telephone: (518) 272-0195.

(above) The appearance of Barberville Falls, photographed in summer, and the Poesten Kill below the falls, photographed in winter, have changed little since these scenic, early twentieth century images were taken.

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