Papscanee Island Nature Preserve

You often don't have to look very far to enjoy the mystery and intrigue of nature, and this place is a perfect example of that. It's not hard to see why this place is considered sacred to the natives who live here. Walking under the dense canopy of towering trees approximates your place in this world; just a blip on the map. As your eyes follow the grapevines twisting and turning about and between the age old trunks, you begin to get lost in them. You know where you are physically (the trails are short), but the maze of life in front of you beckons you to abandon your plans and intentions; it pleads with you to lose yourself in the world around you and live in the present. As you begin to heed its calls, you will look and listen closer. When you take these moments to listen instead of speak, the forest and all of its friends will begin to welcome you to their home.

Small parking lot. We hiked to the river so grandson could throw rocks. We tried another trail and found a huge tree across the path. We got around it. We will go back but will take water shoes for time by the river. It was muddy.

A shirt hike into a paradise for birds. The songs of so many birds can be heard loud and clear (when the train isn't flying at 80 mph down the tracks). The shoreline is accessible from the red trail or near the end of the main trail. The shoreline is pretty muddy so bring the right kind of shoes or boots to have the best time ever. I saw a family fishing on the lake while boaters anchored near the shoreline. This is a great escape when you can't go far. Also, as you're driving down the road to the entrance, you get this amazing view of Corning Tower in Albany. It's pretty cool!