In an effort to visit every “local” patch of nature I ventured to the Hannacroix Creek Preserve in New Baltimore on Saturday. I’m not very familiar with much on the other side of the river so this was a mission of exploration. The map showed a waterfall and I expected to see it flowing due to the recent rains.
The trail can be accessed from two locations, one on NYS route 144 and another just off the Main Street up Madison Avenue and situated next to a church retreat center. I chose to park at the later location.
Upon entering the woods it is immediately apparent this was a well traveled road at some point. Stone walls and a few foundations are quickly spotted.
One section of walkway is quickly reached in a low area. No danger of water today but a light dusting of snow on the smooth boards can be slippery.
At the end of the more pronounced woods road a junction is reached at the Hannacroix Creek. The creek itself is not very exciting, your standard creek through the woods, but just off to your left is a small trail that leads to the waterfall noted on the map. The falls are not terribly high but still provide some scenic bang for their buck and were running well from the recent rains.
No swimming signs are present every few yards but I expect they are often disregarded in the warmer months. This looks like one of those spots that is best visited in the off season to avoid the masses.
Continuing back on the aptly named Paper Mill Trail you soon come to the namesake ruins of the Croswell-Parsons Paper Mill
The rest of the trail wanders up and down a bit until you reach the other parking area along route 144. From there you can return via a slightly different route or cross the road to another short trail leading to the Hudson.
Along the way to the river, more ruins are spotted including this chimney up on a slight rise
Another sight is this truss bridge constructed from recycled plastic. I guess this is better than letting the plastic not rot in landfills. It can resist rotting here on the trail and provide a way to cross the tidal stream.
While we are not experiencing anything like a normal winter weather wise, it was still too cold to linger long at the rivers edge and there really isn’t much to see once you reach the river.
Just a traditional New York winters day with gray upon gray. Snow might improve this scene if I’m being honest.
I headed back to the car by way of a slightly different set of trails. My apps were all over the board with mileage for this one. The phone shows one thing and the watch another. This was about 3.5 miles give or take and only few hundred feet of climbing. The screenshot below is from a new to me promising app called Footpath. I am a long time GaiaGPS user but they seem to be slow fixing things or adding new features since being acquired by Outside so I’m keeping my options open. If all else fails I still know how to use a map and compass.
Heading out to a new local slice of wilderness is often a pleasant surprise and rarely disappoints. This is another such case. The scenery was pleasant and the walk was enough to get the blood pumping without straying too far from home.
