Located in scenic Rensselaerville New York, the Huyck Preserve is a hidden gem in Albany county. Nestled on the Allegheny plateau south of the Helderberg escarpment, the Preserve offers 12 miles of trails through forest, field, and wetlands. Lake Myosotis offers recreational opportunities and a chance to see Bald Eagles and the resident beavers, while Lincoln Pond offers a quiet spot for viewing waterfowl, kingfishers, and more. Opened in 2012, the three loops of the Partridge Path offer almost 6 miles of backcountry hiking over creeks and hills. Weather conditions can vary across the Preserve, so please plan accordingly when hiking.
Trails are open from dawn to dusk year-round. Admission is free to walk and hike the trails, picnic, fish and boat (non-motorized) on Lake Myosotis, and for skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. Motorized vehicles and bicycles are not allowed. Dogs must be on leash at all times and owners are responsible for cleaning up after their pets. Huyck Preserve is a carry in - carry out park. Please help us keep our Preserve beautiful. Please respect any research sites you may come across while at the Preserve.
This special place is available because of the tremendous generosity of the members who support the Preserve. Please consider becoming a member and support our mission of connecting people to nature through research, education, recreation and conservation.
Trails are open from dawn to dusk year-round. Admission is free to walk and hike the trails, picnic, fish and boat (non-motorized) on Lake Myosotis, and for skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. Motorized vehicles and bicycles are not allowed. Dogs must be on leash at all times and owners are responsible for cleaning up after their pets. Huyck Preserve is a carry in - carry out park. Please help us keep our Preserve beautiful. Please respect any research sites you may come across while at the Preserve.
This special place is available because of the tremendous generosity of the members who support the Preserve. Please consider becoming a member and support our mission of connecting people to nature through research, education, recreation and conservation.
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Parking
Parking is limited at the Visitors Center and kayak area and beach lots. Large bus parking is only available with scheduled education programs and hikes; public bus parking is not readily available without prior scheduling. Contact us:
Phone: 518-797-3440 Email: info@huyckpreserve.org Visitors Center Hours:
The visitor center is currently closed due to COVID-19. We hope to open our doors at the visitor center again in 2022! |
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The Huyck Preserve is located approximately 28 miles southwest of Albany,
New York off State Route 85 in the Village of Rensselaerville Address for GPS directions: Huyck Preserve Visitors Center 5052 Delaware Turnpike Rensselaerville, NY 12147 |
Preserve Rules
- Trails are open dawn-to-dusk, year round.
- Please stay on trails at all times! As a field station, there is on-going research near trails, which you may ruin if you leave the trail, along with damaging the habitat and ecosystem which you are visiting.
- Huyck Preserve is a carry-in carry-out nature preserve, please take all your trash with you and do not litter!
- Public picnic benches are available near the beach and kayak areas on Lake Myosotis's shore.
- No fires are allowed except in Huyck Preserve grills when they are available at the Lake Myosotis beach and boat launch.
- No recreational drones are permitted on Preserve property.
- No geocaching is permitted on Preserve property.
- Hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing are allowed on trails.
- The Preserve does not allow collection of any specimens.
- No hunting or trapping is permitted on Preserve property.
- Dogs are allowed on Preserve trails, but not at the beach (due to public swimming site rules). Dogs must be leashed at all times and picked up after!
- Fishing and ice fishing allowed at Lake Myosotis only, with valid NYS permits. Ice fishing holes can be dug with hand-powered augurs only, gas augurs NOT permitted. For current ice conditions, please check our social media pages.
- Kayaking and canoeing allowed on Lake Myosotis only. Canoe/Kayak racks available to rent at the launch site for members only.
- Swimming is allowed in the lake ONLY at the beach, when a lifeguard is on duty, and only to those who have purchased beach passes.
- Motorized vehicles are NOT permitted on trails.
- Mountains bikes or other bikes NOT permitted on trails.
- Horses are NOT permitted on trails.
- Do NOT swim or play in the falls. Rocks are slippery and dangerous, and walking in the falls causes erosion which damages them.
