Explore/New York/Loop the Old Growth at Lisha Kill

Loop the Old Growth at Lisha Kill

Niskayuna / Capital Region, New York

Activity

Hiking / Old-Growth Forest

Difficulty

Moderate

Distance

2.1 mi round trip

Elevation gain

~350 ft

Duration

~1.5–2 hrs

Route

Connected loops / forest & ravines

The adventure

String together Lisha Kill's three marked trails and trade suburban Niskayuna for old-growth hemlocks, giant white pines, bedrock ravines and two tumbling streams.

What you'll do

Start at Lisha Kill Natural Area parking area on Rosendale Road, then follow the route about 2.1 miles round trip. experience all three marked trails and old-growth/ravine habitat

Expect forest floor, wet areas, steep ravine climbs.

Expect roughly 350 ft of climbing along the way.

What you're looking at

Eastern white pine and eastern hemlock specimens are estimated at well over 200 years old

Once you're there

Park in the designated area between the buildings on Rosendale Road and enter at the preserve sign. Follow the red-blazed Grattan Family Trail into the mature hemlock, oak and white-pine forest.

Add the yellow-blazed Frank's Trail when you reach its junction, return to red, then take the blue-blazed Paul's Trail loop near Lisha Kill. Respect the warning at the stream overlook and stay back from the ravine edge.

Rejoin red and finish the loop back at the parking area.

Don't miss

Pick out one of the massive eastern white pines or hemlocks in the mature forest and stop long enough to appreciate that some trees here were already growing more than two centuries ago.

Good to know

Hours: dawn to dusk
Mud season: preserve asks visitors not to hike between late February and early May because of erosion risk
Facilities: none
Parking spaces: approximately 25
Ravines: steep climbs and drop-offs near stream ravines
Wet areas: frequent wet/muddy trail sections
Edge warning: posted caution at overlook where Fly Kill joins Lisha Kill
Dogs: allowed-on-leash.
REAL OLD GROWTH: Some eastern white pines and hemlocks here are estimated to be well over 200 years old.
SMALL PRESERVE. REAL HILLS.: The red Grattan Family Trail alone gains about 350 feet in 1.2 miles, so this little preserve has more climbing than its size suggests.
RAVINE COUNTRY: Deep stream ravines cut through the underlying bedrock, and the trail drops in and out of them repeatedly.
MUD SEASON MATTERS: Wet ground is common, and the preserve asks hikers to stay off the trails during mud season to prevent serious erosion.
NO FACILITIES: There are no visitor facilities here. Bring what you need and carry everything back out.
Safety: steep climbs and drop-offs near stream ravines. frequent wet/muddy trail sections. posted caution at overlook where Fly Kill joins Lisha Kill.
Managed by: The Nature Conservancy.

Please respect the place

Avoid the preserve during the late-winter/early-spring mud-season closure
Stay on marked trails
Keep dogs leashed
No camping, fires, hunting, fishing, bicycles or motorized vehicles
Use caution near steep ravines and the stream overlook