Deer Mountain Nature Preserve Trail is a 3.2 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Coeymans, New York that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
170 acres of protected wetland and forest; two trails, one 1.5 miles round trip and the other 3 miles round trip. Much signage exists identifying trees, animal life, and wetland environments. This trail can be quite muddy and you may want to wear protective clothing to prevent ticks and bug bites.
Outhouse available at entrance
Wear long sleeve shirts and pants to avoid bugs and ticks These trails are not advisable during the hunting season, even though hunting is officially prohibited there, due to many adjoining private lands where it is allowed.
From Albany take Rte. 9W south to Rte. 396 (or the Thruway to Exit 22.) Follow Rte. 396 west to Rte. 101. Turn left (south) and go about 0.9 mile to Jarvis Road on the right. Take this for a mile and you come to Deer Mountain Village Road, a good gravel road. Turn right and follow it 0.8 mile to the parking lot.
Very muddy and hard to find the trail during winter. But it’ll probably be a nice hike during spring/summer. Not a hard hike.
Snowshoed. Lost the path a couple times but I guess that’s why we have this app...? Pretty hike.
muddy, poorly marked, easy to get lost, atv damge to trail. bridges damaged. Pretty hike though.
You know what; I actually really liked this trail. It's totally different from the other perfectly manicured preserves in the area. Don't get me wrong, those are nice, but this trail offers something totally different. This preserve is overgrown and appears to be largely forgotten, but it has a lot of character for being so flat. Be prepared to: scramble over fallen trees, cross bridges with missing planks and trees lying over them, get muddy, fight the bugs, and follow a poorly marked trail that just ends abruptly. If you're looking for a nice, well manicured, walk in the woods, this isn't for you. If you're ok getting dirty and having to actively pay attention to your surroundings in order to not lose the trail, then you may find this to be fun. The bugs must be horrible in the Spring and Summer, so this is probably best used in the Fall and Winter.
I always enjoy Deer Mountain, but I usually don't consider it to be an accomplishment. It was today, with MANY downed trees blocking the path. If you don't mind getting dirty, the summit view is nice and worth the trouble. The path is NOT marked, but it's also not that hard to follow. Just keep an eye on your GPS and use your head. We did east side and treated it as an out and back. West side is always a nightmare, though I'm curious how much worse it will be with downed trees.
Took the west trail today as stated wet and a bit over grown very easy to follow. Wear sturdy footwear and use a walking stick for balance as you are going to be descending into low lying wetlands. Go around fallen trees or over/under. I cleared some down trees I could manage with a pruning saw. I would like to form a group to get this place back in shape get some funding. The bridges are intact and passable but need to be redone especially bridge #2 at the end. Picked up a bunch of trash as well. The view at the end is so worth it right now with the fall foliage! I will be back for the East trail.