Family Hike: Beebe Hill in Austerlitz, NY

Today we went on a hike with other families from Darius’ school. The Beebe Hill trail is in Austerlitz, NY in Columbia County and just inside New York a few miles from the Massachusetts state line.  The hike is 1 mile from the trail head to the fire tower over fairly easy terrain with a few mildly steep spots.  It was an easy hike to do with a group of children.  Here are some pictures from the hike.

Green Fall Activity: Take a Hike

One of the best ways to instill green values and a love of nature in children is to simply go outside and experience nature. Sadly, we don’t get out often enough. Between our jobs, school, household chores and everything else happening in our busy lives it can seem an impossible task.

One afternoon last week, Brian and Darius went on a short hike at John Boyd Thacher State Park. Darius had been home from school a couple days with strep throat and by this point had recovered enough to get antsy and bored with staying inside. It was a nice afternoon and a perfect day for a fall hike.  This park is a short trip from our home and one that we visit fairly frequently.

They decided to take the Indian Ladder Trail on this hike.  It’s not a long trail but it follows some pretty steep paths at some points.  Thacher Park sits high on an escarpment and has panoramic views to the east and the Hudson River Valley.  This trail descends from the escarpment and takes you down below and along the cliffs where you can see some spectacular geological formations.  At points the trail goes under overhangs and through areas that seem almost like you are in a cave.

I’m kind of sorry I missed this one.  Being the biologist in this family, I often like to tell Darius about some of the trees, plants and wildlife we see on walks like this.  This time when wildlife questions came up, Darius would say, “let’s ask Daddy”.  Along the trip they came upon this small salamander, which I believe is a Red Eft, the juvenile stage of the Eastern Newt.

If your interested in taking a fall hike take a look at Trails.Com where you can use a map tool that allows you to zoom in on an area and see all the local hiking trails.