Sunday, April 27, 2014

Moreau Lake State Park Western Ridge Trail - Capital Region Hike Review


 Hiking the Moreau Lake State Park Western Ridge Trail

by Kathleen Lisson

I have a funny story about Moreau Lake. I have lived in the Capital Region for 15 years and I have never been there. Two years ago, my niece from India came to stay with us for our wedding. We put her in the RPI summer camp, and she came home one day, excited because she had visited Moreau Lake State Park. She was more of a local than I was! 
Atla and me in Kerala, India

I needed to put some hiking miles in my legs and I wanted to test out my rain gear on a rainy day, so I headed up to the Moreau Lake State Park. It ended up not raining, but I did hike about 12 miles.

The trail is not hard, but I was grateful for my hiking poles. I parked at the Spiel Rd. trailhead. That way I could hike out and back the length of the trail, but still have the ability to cut the hike short if the rain got too heavy. I ended up hiking the entire trail. 

Western Ridge Trailhead

Moreau Lake State Park

Eastern Newt
Eastern Red Spotted Newt

I came across a tiny Eastern Red Spotted Newt on the trail. Learn more about this mosquito-killing newt here: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/67022.html

Moreau Lake State Park trail map is here: http://www.nysparks.com/parks/attachments/MoreauLakeTrailMap.pdf

More Hiking Trail Reports:

Tips for hiking the Western Ridge Trail with kids:
http://www.saratogamama.com/hiking-and-surviving-the-western-ridge-trail/
Hiking the Western Ridge Trail from a skiers perspective:
http://saratogaskier.blogspot.com/2013/06/hiking-at-moreau-lake-state-park.html
Hiking the Western Ridge Trail from a cyclists perspective:
http://norockingchairforme.blogspot.com/2012/08/hiking-moreau-lake-state-park.html

No comments:

Post a Comment