On Saturday I continued the quest to explore any and all local wilderness areas. I discovered there was a fire tower in a forest near Rhinebeck and being a big fan of fire towers I put this on the agenda. Nearby were a few other parks/preserves so I kept my options open to visit another spot, time permitting.
About 30 minutes from me is Ferncliff Forest and my maps showed a fire tower and several shelters for camping there. This looked like an interesting place to explore on yet another dreary gray January day.
A short walk from the parking area leads to a small lake/pond with 3 shelters. According to the website these shelters are all free to use but a reservation is needed. If you’re looking for a quick walk to an overnight camp spot these might be helpful. The forest is not far off the Empire State Trail so these might also be useful for those on a bike tour. I’ve often thought of riding down to NYC or Long Island to visit friends and family so maybe these would come in handy one day.
Next to another shelter, the beavers have been active and this was not the only spot showing signs of their work.
Another pond appears to be forming further along the trail due to the beaver dam blocking a stream.
This forest allows mountain biking and it looks like bikers have taken that to heart. There are a lot of trails and they almost seem redundant in spots if you’re walking. There are trails right next to trails and some of the trails are clearly routed for single track fun, winding back and forth through the woods in ways you might not create a trail for walking.
Not a problem as the trails are all in good shape but it does create the need to carry a map or have your GPS handy as there are many trails and it’s easy to get confused. My GPS didn’t even show all the trails here and it appears the map provided on the web site does not either. You’re not likely to get very lost as the forest is surrounded by roads and not all that large that you would find yourself trapped in a wilderness survival situation.
As I mentioned, there are several different shelters and they are even different styles. There are a few traditional NYS style lean-tos.
There are also some other interesting shelter designs. This one looks like it would be great for cold weather camping but I’m not sure how much wood you would find nearby.
After wandering the woods for a while I decided to seek out the tower I’d read about. It is situated in the middle of the forest on a high point as would befit a fire tower but it’s also quite a tall tower.
That height gives you some great 360º views of the Catskills, Taconics and local farms.
As this is one of those local adventures you’re never far from civilization and on some of the trails you are actually right next to the road, in this case route 103/River Road. I only saw one car pass as I walked this stretch of trail for about a half mile so the road is lightly trafficked.
It’s easy to create a few different routes through the forest and I ended up doing about 3.7 miles with a total ascent of 265 feet. If you’re looking for a low stress way to visit a fire tower and get some great views this is it.
After I got back to my car I removed my muddy boots and started to head home. I figured I would take a scenic route along the river. I returned to River Road which seemed to promise something interesting. I had traveled less than a mile when I came upon a sign for Poet’s Walk. I had seen this when pouring over my maps looking for targets to visit so I figured I would pull in for a look.
It’s only about about a mile, one way, down to the river from the parking area so I put my muddy shoes back on and headed out. I was quickly greeted by a woman from Scenic Hudson who runs the park. They are looking for someone to be a gatekeeper, closing the gate after hours. It did sound like my kind of community service but it’s too far a drive for me to do that every day. It is a paying gig so if you happen to be local look them up.
The trails here wander from open meadows with distant Catksill views to wooded paths crossing over a few streams.
There are some nice examples of rustic architecture and furniture.
I imagine this place gets very crowded in the warmer months where people can spend time just lounging about in the fields.
There are a number of stream crossings on the woods trails. The recent wetness created some slippery footing in that classic Hudson River Valley mud/clay soil. Micro-spikes would have helped in spots. It was very slick.
The trail basically creates a loop either way you go and eventually you end at the river overlooking the train tracks to the mighty Hudson and the Catskills beyond.
At the location called “Summer House” there is a gazebo and some other seating. The other destination near the river on the trail is called “The Lookout” both are clearly marked and very close to each other. The Lookout sits on a hill and again there are a a few benches to sit on.
This quick walk added about 2.4 miles with 170 of “climbing”
Not a bad way to spend another gray Saturday. Always impressed with these preserves or little pockets of wilderness. They’re not always the same as climbing one of the high peaks but sometimes you get your wilderness in different ways. I’m glad these sorts of places are here. Thanks for people like Scenic Hudson for creating these resources.
