Mohawk River State Park Loop is a 2.2 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Schenectady, 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 but must be kept on leash.
NOTE: As of August 2020, hikers report that part of the trail is closed due to road work. Mohawk River State Park covers 107 acres in the vicinity of Lock 7 and has a boat launch as well as hiking trails. New York State purchased what was previously known as the Schenectady Museum Natural Preserve when making this park. The Mohawk Hudson Hike-Bike trail runs through park and serves as the starting point for a number of interconnected trails through the woods including the John F Brown Trail system which run through 100 acres of Niskayuna Town Land North of the park. Terrain is varied and runs through a number of ecosystems: mixed forests, overgrown fields, ravines. There are a few hills but the trails switchback so they aren't too steep. Most of the stream crossings have bridges. There are some older, informational signs and a number of newer markers providing some identification details for the trees they are on.
There is parking at the intersection of the Hike Bike Trail and Lock 7 road, the Lock 7 parking lots as well as next to the wastewater treatment plant on Whitmyer Drive. It's also possible to start at Blatnick park and follow the disk golf course to hole 4 where it intersects with the trail.
November 30, 2020A nice rugged trail system. Wet and muddy in spots. If you try to stick to the Alltrails map you'll find yourself searching for the trail a few times
November 28, 2020Downloading alltrails map before you go is a must! A web of trails all intersecting haphazardly. That’s the downside but the upside is you can tailor your hike to however much time you have. Not a lot of hills but some ups and downs. Also some views of the Mohawk River and lock 7. You can also access these trails from Whitmyer road (Niskayuna water treatment plant) or blatnik park. Operative word is flexible! I started at Whitmyer and hiked for 1.5h today. Wet and muddy in places, but enjoyable woods hike.
November 8, 2020November 8, 2020Not well marked I went on a different trail.
October 22, 2020Nice area to walk but the trail was too overgrown in many areas. More markers are needed where different paths meet. We had to backtrack many times. Nice that you can hike in a loop and return to where you started.
October 11, 2020September 29, 2020September 26, 2020The trail is quite overgrown, but the view of the gorge is great!
September 20, 2020Very good trail. Watch out for tree roots. Cool view of the gorge.
September 13, 2020Extremely overgrown, had to change trails multiple times. The only saving grace was the beautiful flowers and seeing the canal
August 16, 2020Not bad in terms of bugs. Parts of the trail were over grown. Others smelled like the waste treatment plant. Not terrible, but would not rush back.
August 1, 2020June 13, 2020I like this trail because it’s really close to my house and has LOTS of options for exploring. We bumped into some polite mountain bikers. The forest did smell around the waste treatment plant. Good stroll through the hike but not a lot of views b
May 21, 2020May 6, 2020The parking area near Lock 7 was closed for some construction so I didn’t get to enjoy being by the river so that was a bummer. The trail would have been ok, just ok since there were no views to speak of, but there were too many sections that were extremely muddy. I didn’t care for that at all. Is say that the moderate level is accurate. Maybe on lower end of that if it weren’t so muddy.
December 25, 2019Nice trail for a quick little hike. Could have been better marked. And going by the water treatment plant can be a bit smelly.
October 16, 2019great place for a hike. lots to see.muddy in spots. the bridges are in rough shape
August 11, 2019Started off good, but then got bad smell around sewage plant? Not well marked. Would be great project for local students to mark this out better
July 10, 2019Very diverse trail, bit hard to determine what was and wasn't on the path. Found ourselves out at the road a few times and skirted private property. Otherwise a very nice path with a large variety of flora, elevation, and biomes. Hopped off the trail briefly to watch dragonflies dance at a small river bend (stay on the trail folks).
March 26, 2019August 16, 2018Very peaceful. Markers for the loop are hard to follow.
July 15, 2018Bad smell
June 25, 2018A personal favorite. Beautiful views and easy access to the creek that weaves throughout the trails. Excellent for anything from a casual walk to exploring. Difficult to get lost, wide trails.
December 18, 2017
First to ReviewMy first trip here today. There were a lot of trails to follow and they seem a little confusing, but you really can't get lost. However, the map was very helpful. https://www.niskayuna.org/sites/niskayunany/files/uploads/lock7trailmap_final.pdf Parking at Lock 7 upper lot provided easy access to the park. There is some up and down and the trail was a little icy today. The trail network leaves the State Park and eventually connects with Niskayuna's Blatnick Park.
