10. Black Creek Forest Preserve

Distance:	Dayhike
Difficulty :	Easy for children
Distance :	3 miles, round trip
Hiking time :	2 hours
High point/elevation gain :	150 feet, 100 feet
Hikable :	March-October
Map :	USGS Rosendale

Despite the similar names, the Black Creek Forest Preserve is a long way from the massive Black Rock Forest (Hike 9) in both size and elevation. Black Creek Forest Preserve is an intimate 130 acres that never rises above 150 feet. And instead of a hike through highlands hundreds of feet above the Hudson River, this hike takes you right down to the river and follows the shore for a stretch. This is a very kid-friendly place to hike. It starts with a bang, the trails are clearly marked and well maintained so kids can run ahead, and the hike is just challenging enough to keep older kids interested without giving them any reason to complain.

From New York City, take the Thruway (I-87) north to Exit 18 in New Paltz. Head east on NY-299 for 6 miles to the junction with US 9W. Follow 9W north for 5.5 miles to Winding Brook Acres Road. Turn right (there's a large lighted sign for Winding Brook Acres, a private resort area, and a smaller sign for the preserve); you'll arrive at the parking area on the right almost at once.

From the parking area, cross the road, and enter the trail at the double yellow blazes. You'll walk through woods along Black Creek for a few hundred feet and then arrive at one of the most impressive features of this preserve: a 120-foot suspension bridge that carries you across the stream. Here's a good place to understand what gives this site its name: The bottom of Black Creek is dark due to tannic acid from the hemlock trees that line the ravine, although the water itself is crystal clear. The creek begins almost 20 miles south at Sunset Lake in Plattekill and ends less than a mile from here, emptying into the Hudson in a broad, muddy wetlands area outside of the preserve's boundaries to the north. Black Creek is a trout stream and an important spawning area for American blue herring, which run upstream here from the Hudson every spring. Kids, what might happen to the fish if this unspoiled stream became polluted? The people at Scenic Hudson, a nonprofit environmental organization, asked themselves the same question and in 1999 bought this property to protect it from development.

From the bridge, the yellow-blazed Black Creek Trail climbs steeply up a ravine through a dramatic hemlock-hardwood forest. The climb is a little tough, especially for short legs, but stone and log steps help you up the steepest sections. (This part may be wet in the spring.) Within 0.25 mile you'll arrive at the top of the ridge. Walk through a gap in an old stone wall and arrive at a naturalist panel describing the wildlife where there is a convenient bench for taking a breather. The old stone walls tell you that at one point long ago part of this land was cleared for farming.

Over the next 0.25 mile the Black Creek Trail climbs a bit more and then descends through woods of oak, beech, and tulip poplar. A footbridge takes you over a small stream; soon after that, the Black Creek Trail ends at the junction with the red-blazed Vernal Pool Trail, where you turn right (east). This 0.3-mile section of the Vernal Pool Trail is an easy walk up and down through beautiful grassy upland woods—mature red oak, chestnut oak, and black birch trees interspersed with old fields. Have the kids look for red oak and chestnut oak leaves and acorns, and compare them: The red oaks have pointy, deeply lobed leaves and oblong acorns with a sharp point. Chestnut oaks have oblong, wavy leaves very unlike the usual lobed oak leaf; the caps on the acorns are hairy. Black birches are an understory tree—they never get as large as the taller deciduous trees. Look for shiny black bark and toothed leaves. Try chewing on a black birch twig—it tastes minty, like wintergreen.

As the name suggests, this trail takes you past a number of vernal pools in the woods. These are seasonal ponds that form from runoff streams in the spring. Because they have no permanent water source, vernal pools usually dry out by the end of the summer, if not before. What sort of animals would you expect to find in a vernal pool, and why? Hint: Not fish. You would expect to find amphibians—animals such as frogs that start their life in water but leave it, at least some of the time, when they reach adulthood. If you're lucky, you'll spot a spotted salamander here. Look for a large salamander up to seven inches long; the black body has yellow spots. In the spring migration period, you might also see dabbling ducks such as mallards and wood ducks paddling around in a large vernal pool, resting and feeding before resuming their journey north.

As you pass through another gap in a stone wall, you'll leave the vernal pools behind and soon come to a junction with the blue-blazed Hudson River Trail. Turn right (east) here and follow the trail as it slopes down toward the Hudson through a forest of oaks and hemlocks. Within 0.25 mile you've reached the river's edge. At several points the kids can clamber down to the pebbly beach to wade, skip stones, climb on the rocks, and watch the boats on the river. Mills State Park (Hike 22) is directly across the river.

The river section of the trail continues for about 500 feet of water frontage, ending at the dramatic Pitch Pine overlook on a rock promontory (one of the many benches in the preserve is placed here). Enjoy the scenic views up and down the river. Although you're not far from the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, a bend in the river blocks it from view. When you leave the overlook, the trail turns sharply inland and climbs back up through the woods to meet the Vernal Pool Trail again, a bit north of where you left it. Turn right and follow the Vernal Pool Trail north over a small footbridge, looping through woodlands. In 0.25 mile the trail turns south again and runs along an old farm road for another 0.25 mile. The old road brings you back to the Black Creek Trail. Turn left and follow the trail back the way you came, over the suspension bridge to your car.