Explore The Bog Meadow Brook Nature Trail

The Bog Meadow Brook Nature Trail in Saratoga Springs was developed in 1993 by Saratoga PLAN. Only two miles long, this trail is a year-round favorite for warm walks in the summer and cross-country skiing in the winter. The pathway follows an old passenger railroad that linked Saratoga Springs to other destinations in the region.

Green Heron. Photo credit: Shane Mitchell

How To Get There

To enter the trail from Route 29, drive east from Saratoga Springs on Lake Ave (Route 29) past East Side Recreation Park. Continue under the Northway (I-87) and past Weibel Ave. The trailhead parking area is less than a mile up on the right.

You can also access the trail from Meadowbrook Road. Instead of parking at the Route 29 trailhead, continue east on Route 29 to the first traffic light, then make a right onto Stafford Bridge Rd. Take a right onto Meadowbrook Road about 1 mile down the road. The parking area will be ahead on the right. Park here and walk up the road about 50 yards to the trailhead on the right.

The Trail

The trail connects Route 29 and Meadowbrook Road and cuts through three distinct wetland systems. This is a great spot for bird watching and jogging, and it's also kid-friendly. There are benches scattered along the pathway, as well as a lot of signs that provide history about the old railroad. Numerous wildflowers can be found in the warmer months including may apple, marsh marigold, spotted wintergreen, and more.

Birding at Bog Meadow Brook

Great Blue Heron (left) and Green Heron (right). Photo credit: Shane Mitchell

The marshland and forest along Bog Meadow Brook Trail attracts both resident and migrating bird species, making this an ideal hike for birdwatchers. Here are some of the species that have been observed:

• Waterbirds: Great Blue and Green Herons, Virginia Rail, Belted Kingfishers, American Bitterns, Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers, American Woodcocks
• Waterfowl: Canada Geese, Mallards, Wood Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, Hooded Mergansers
• Raptors: Turkey Vultures, American Kestrels
• Woodpeckers: Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy, and Pileated Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers
• Ruffed Grouses
• Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
• 22 species of Warblers, including Magnolia, Mourning, Nashville, Blackburnian, Wilson's, Palm, Canada, and Tennessee
• Other Songbirds: Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Tufted Titmice, American Goldfinches, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Song, Swamp, and American Tree Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Eastern Phoebes, Eastern Wood Pewees, Tree and Barn Swallows, Gray Catbirds, American Robins, Northern Cardinals, Cedar Waxwings, Blue Jays, American Crows, European Starlings, Rusty and Red-winged Blackbirds, Baltimore Orioles, Common Grackles

Explore more Saratoga Area Nature Trails & Preserves »

Source:

http://www.southernadirondackaudubon.org/birding/Birding%20Locations/BogMeadow/bogmeadow.html