Bloomingdale Brook Waterfalls Hiking Trail is a great fall hike near me. It is a great hike to see multiple waterfalls. Its located in the Rensselaer Tech Park in Troy, NY off Global-View RD. It’s across the Road from Regeneron just past WMHT. There are a parking lot and Signage. The Alltrails app or site has GPS coordinates. This Trail is sometimes described as a moderate hike due to the hills on one side. It’s loaded with waterfalls though one side they are much easier to view especially for children. If you are looking for kid-friendly hikes this is a good one.
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Tips for Bloomingdale Brook Waterfall Hike
- When you get to the first bridge go straight so the steep incline is on your downward path and the more gradual incline is on your uphill return.
- There is one part of the trail that made me nervous with my clumsy kids. The trail is narrow and next to a cliff with a steep drop (a metal trailer is hanging on the side of the cliff there) and there’s no barrier. on the non-cliff side of the trail are some trees which we had the kids hold on to as they walked through the short section and my husband held our youngest hand.
- Arrive early, after our hike we returned to a parking lot that was completely full.
- there are a lot of dogs on the trails but we only saw one near the end of our hike and several in the parking lot when we returned.
Review and Tips for Bloomingdale Brook Waterfalls
You will start by walking through a field to the trailhead. as you walk down you will get to a bridge this is the start of the loop. you can choose to go straight and not over the bridge. This will lead you to the steepest part of the trail first and also take you to the area where it’s easier to see some waterfalls first.
If you opt to go over the bridge first you will have an easier start to the hike. the initial waterfalls- the taller bigger ones are harder to see from the trail and going off-trail is not recommended especially with children as it’s very steep.
I recommend going straight first as the steep incline will be downhill and the more gradual incline will be at the end of your hike. Just be aware of the best viewing and experience for the kids will be in the beginning part of the Hike so that their expectations aren’t that there will be even more and better opportunities later.
While this trip is only moderate this is probably the limit for our kids. We love exploring but they definitely do not like challenging inclined hikes. All Trails says this is a 1-mile hike but other sources say 1.5 from the parking lot. It felt a lot longer due to the incline but it was also a lot of fun.
The highlight of the Hike is definitely the multiple waterfalls but our kids also loved the large stepping stones and bridges over the creek.
Check out other Hikes and attractions in the Capital District
- Hannacoix Preserve / Water Fall
- Christman Sanctuary / Water Fall
- Grafton Lakes State Park
- Thompson’s Lake State Park
- Wild Play at Thatcher Park
- Henry Hudson Park
- Albany, NY
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