- Trail: Cottage Park Trail
- Trailhead: Sherman Island Boat Launch
- Length: 1.5 miles
- Terrain: Dirt, Grass, Rocks
Trip Tip: Swimming and Rope Swing in the Hudson River.
Named for the site where an old hotel that housed workers for the hydro-electric plants on the Hudson River. You can still see the remains of the hotel foundations along the road. This trail starts out flat and them climbs to the ridge above. Once you cross under the powerlines the trails divides. Both trails continue up the ridge to the Eastern Ridge Trail. This area is always great for exploring a natural forest with thick trees and rugged terrain. The trail off to the south has some neat features as it continues along a spine between two creek beds. If you continue to the top, eventually you will connect with the Western Ridge Trail taking you to the Western Overlook for views of the Green Mountains of Vermont. Most the forest is Pine and Hemlock trees with a high canopy.
Directions: Spier Falls Road
From the Adirondack Northway (I-87) take Exit 17 South. Continue south for a short distance on Route 9 and make a right onto Old Saratoga Road. Continue on Old Saratoga Road toward Moreau Lake State Park. Make your first right onto Mountain Road. Continue around the eastern border of the park and make your first left onto Spier Falls Rd. Follow Spier Falls Rd up and over the mountain. At the bottom of the hill make a right into the Sherman Island Parking and River Access area.
I did this hike with my kids (5 and 6 1/2) today. We went up Cottage Park Trail, then looped down the Western Ridge trail. The Cottage Park trail (orange blazes) was definitely the easier way up. If we had done it in reverse, it would have been a way tougher climb for the kids. It’s a good “big” starter hike for little kids. The Moreau Lake State Park website has the complete map of all of the trails.