New York · Hiking

Bird Watching Loop

Bird Watching LoopPhoto: PunkToad, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
1.1 mi
one way
194 ft
high point
Point to point
route
Easy
difficulty
Apr, Jun–Oct
best months

The Bird Watching Loop is an easy, flat hike of about a mile and a quarter, with practically no elevation gain, in New York. It sits roughly 0.7 miles from the town of Mohawk View and runs on a point-to-point route, which makes it a straightforward outing for a short visit. Biking and horses are both allowed on the trail, so it works for riders and equestrians as well as walkers. The route is so gentle that the highest point on it is just about 194 feet, and the steepest stretch, a 2% grade, comes at the one-mile mark. The most comfortable months for a visit are late spring through early fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Albany put June highs around 79°F and September highs around 74°F, with snow days in winter. Several other trails lie close by. Forts Ferry Loop is about half a mile away, and the Erie Canal Towpath Community Connector Trail is about 1.5 miles off. East Bluffs Trail and the Power Line Trail are both within about 3 miles.

  • Best time to go · Apr, Jun–Oct

    Best time to visit Bird Watching Loop

    Best months: April and June–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      33° / 16°

      12 wet · 9 snow

    2. Feb

      36° / 18°

      11 wet · 8 snow

    3. Mar

      45° / 26°

      12 wet · 6 snow

    4. Apr

      59° / 37°

      12 wet · 1 snow

    5. May

      71° / 48°

      13 wet

    6. Jun

      79° / 57°

      12 wet

    7. Jul

      84° / 62°

      12 wet

    8. Aug

      82° / 61°

      11 wet

    9. Sep

      74° / 53°

      10 wet

    10. Oct

      62° / 41°

      11 wet

    11. Nov

      49° / 32°

      11 wet · 3 snow

    12. Dec

      38° / 23°

      13 wet · 7 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Albany Ap, NY, 3.5 mi away at 312 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Forts Ferry LoopPhoto: ke9tv, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Forts Ferry Loop

Next door

0.86-mile loop in New York with 74 ft elevation gain

Whitmyer-Shaker Gorge TrailPhoto: Dougtone, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Whitmyer-Shaker Gorge Trail

~6 min drive

0.49-mile point-to-point trail in New York with 128 ft gain.

HIKE

Champlain Valley Trail (Halfmoon to Schuylerville)

~13 min drive

18.76-mile point-to-point trail in New York with 449 ft elevation gain.

Erie Canal Towpath Community Connector TrailPhoto: ke9tv, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Erie Canal Towpath Community Connector Trail

~3 min drive

3.72-mile point-to-point trail in New York with 206 ft elevation gain.

Champlain Valley Trail (Peebles Island State Park to Halfmoon)Photo: PunkToad, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Champlain Valley Trail (Peebles Island State Park to Halfmoon)

~10 min drive

5.50-mile point-to-point trail in New York with 372 ft gain and 312 ft loss.

Charlie Huiest TrailPhoto: ke9tv, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Charlie Huiest Trail

~3 min drive

0.35-mile point-to-point trail in New York with 33 ft of elevation gain.

HIKE

Red Loop Trail

~10 min drive

0.44-mile point-to-point trail in New York with 81 ft of elevation gain

East Bluffs TrailPhoto: Dougtone, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

East Bluffs Trail

~5 min drive

0.56-mile loop at East Bluffs Trail in New York with 98 ft gain.

HIKE

Ballston Bicycle Path

~16 min drive

6.74-mile out-and-back bicycle path in New York with 447 ft elevation gain

Power Line TrailPhoto: Dougtone, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Power Line Trail

~5 min drive

0.64-mile point-to-point trail in New York with 61 ft gain

Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors