OUTDOORS ▶ Unfamiliar Rensselaer County trails filled with memorable sights.
There’s a lot I don’t know, and I’m learning more about my ignorance all the time.
The Upstate Alliance for Creative Economy recently published a list of 10 “can’t-miss” trails in Rensselaer County. I assumed I’d know most of them but was so very wrong — I knew only half. I set out to cure my ignorance with the first unfamiliar hike on their list — Grafton Forest.
Grafton Forest is part of an awesome little triangle of publicly accessible land in Rensselaer County. Grafton Forest’s northern end meets Pittstown State Forest and just to its east is Grafton Lakes State Park. That’s a lot of forests and a lot of Graftons, I know. Don’t worry, there won’t be a test.
Pittstown State Forest has a network of mountain bike trails managed by the good people at Saratoga Mountain Bike Association. (I know Saratoga is in a different county but hey, they maintain mountain bike trails so I’m not asking questions.)
On an outrageously gorgeous spring day, I loaded my mountain bike in my car and headed off to ride the trails at Pittstown State Forest, then run some of the trails of Grafton Forest.
In case I’ve never mentioned it before, I love all the things there are to do around here. Even if I only know half of them.
I parked at the western edge of Pittstown State Forest and followed a dirt road east. Other bikers told me the western trails were soft and muddy, while the eastern trails were hard-packed and dry.
I mountain bike like someone afraid of spending time in a cast. Still, I admired other riders who gracefully and fearlessly moved through the woods, their dogs running free beside them and splashing in streams.
Mountain bike securely stashed in the car, I switched to trail running. Pittstown State Forest and Grafton Forest share a border and a wonderfully ambiguous state map showed a trail described as “under construction” leading from Pittstown to Grafton Forest. I tried to run this route, got lost, and then ran back to my car to drive to the proper entrance.
The entrance for Grafton Forest is on Shuffle Street in Cropseyville, although there’s little sign of it. Shuffle Street goes from pavement to dirt to goat path to something that might make a goat reconsider his path. Still, on my honor, I swear I made it in my low-clearance Chevy Volt without any horrible scraping sounds (I did get out once to check the depth of a mud puddle with a stick.)
Three trails emanate from the parking lot — the High Point Trail, the Valley View Trail and the Whoop De Do Trail. Despite the fun name, the Whoop De Do is essentially an old road with some muddy spots. If you’re hiking with someone you haven’t seen after a long COVID winter, it might be a good place to walk side by side to chat; otherwise you’ll want to focus on the other trails.
The Valley View Trail is probably what brings people to Grafton Forest but save your dessert for the end, if you can. Instead, start out on the red High Point Trail. This beautiful trail flows up and over small ridges and through stands of beech trees. Grafton Forest was a dream trail run with enough elevation change to make it interesting but nothing crazy steep.
The trails are well-marked but frequently cross old roads so you’ll need to pay attention. If you’re in the mood to explore, some of these old roads lead to unique views themselves, especially before the trees leaf out.
The High Point Trail meets the Whoop De Do near the northern end of the Grafton Forest. If you follow it a short way south, you’ll meet the Vultures View Trail to do a roughly five-mile, heartshaped loop back to your (I guarantee) muddy car.
Vulture View Ledge awaits you with a sumptuous view of the Tomhannock Reservoir. It’s probably the greatest view … until your next one.
There’s just more than a mile of trail between Vulture View Ledge and the next view spot but I found myself wishing it was a little longer. The trail moves between small meadows and deep forests with unofficial little view spots off to the side.
On a clear spring day, the lookout from the Valley View Trail will make you glad you’re alive. A small group (the only people I saw) had binocularaided views of Mount Haystack and Mount Marcy in the Adirondack High Peaks. It’s hard to believe the spot is only a halfmarathon from the city limits of Troy. From the outstanding ledge, it’s just a half-mile back to the (still muddy) car.