Abandoned ROW - Burgoyne Road near Bryant Bridge

Topo with ROW marked

Well back in January this spot looked enticing to mountain bike (see pics >)  and I was excited to ride it today but… Too Bad!! - It was completely overgrown so I hiked it instead. It was a good thing I did because my hike didn’t last too long and I even had to cross someone’s back yard (not cool!).

Aerial

I parked at Bryant Bridge and made my way eastward. Despite the plant growth everywhere and frequent downed trees, it was an interesting trek. An abandoned house, an abandoned vehicle (?) and a makeshift old railroad tie footbridge made it all worthwhile. The part that was not cool was the trek across someone's yard that stretched right to the banks of Fish Creek.

I had to turn around sooner than expected as it became impassable. This ROW was abandoned in 1957 and 50 plus years of nature really showed! Check out the Video below for an arm chair super-brief tour...

Start

Abandoned House

Wreck

Makeshift Footbridge

Oops - backyard :-(

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Afterwards...

I headed off to Luther Forest and got a good mountain bike ride in but boy was it hot and sunny! The woods after a long wet period are always steamier than the rest of the outdoors. The forest floor does a great job of holding the moisture, only "letting go" as it gets baked off in the heat.
I went out even later in the day to hit up the Colonie Shale Trail but it was still steamy at 4:30 PM.

Bog Meadow Brook Trail

Early Sunday morning May 18th, I ventured up to the big bog east of Saratoga to ride the Nature Trail. Even though it was a rail trail, I had read that it was full of railroad ties and a rough ride so I wisely opted for the mountain bike.

The weather was simply gorgeous and everything looked stunning in the bright morning sunlight. There were a few bird lovers already out on the trail but I was the only biker.

The ride was fascinating not only because of the verdant and unusual bog plant growth all around me but the signage detailed the railroad’s history as well. Back in the late 19th century, this railway was built to transport tourists from Saratoga Springs to Saratoga lake where they could ride a steamship named “The Lady of The Lake” around the lake!

I rode all the way to the end. At about two-thirds of the way in, there’s a wide boardwalk over a  really wet area. I stopped to enjoy the incredible silence—only broken by the occasional deep sound of bullfrogs croaking.

Some sections of the trail—as mentioned—were still full of ties and man my butt hurt from all the bouncing!

Nevertheless it was a great ride and a wonderful taste of a side of nature most folks normally don’t get to see up close.

NOTE: Further details on the entire abandoned railroad line can be found here >

Photo Tour

North Entrance

North Entrance

The trek eastward

A lovely little spot (benches, etc.)

The profusion of railroad ties made it a very bumpy ride :-(

Deep in the bog the forest begins

The Beautiful Boardwalk

Trail's End 

The ride back - the section was magically surreal!
(Gandalf where are you?)

So picturesque!! - the morning sunlight was perfect :-)

Super Short Video of the Ride 

(Boardwalk featured)