HALFMOON; OLD CHAMPLAIN CANAL TRAIL:
HALFMOON, NEW YORK
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Last Updated: August 3, 2009
Length: Halfmoon; Old Champlain Canal Trail; 1.8 miles
Difficulty: Easy. Flat, wide stone dust trail.
Directions:
Take Routes 4 & 32 north from Waterford. Note; Just after entering Halfmoon, you pass by the entrance for Lock1 on the modern Champlain Canal. Worth a quick side trip to check out. About another mile north you'll come to Brookwood Road on the left. Take this road to reach the southern start of the trail. Parking consists of a pullout along the trail. To reach the northern start of the trail continue north along Routes 4 & 32 another 1.6 miles. Turn left on Upper Newtown Road, cross over the RR tracks and you'll come to the parking lot on your left.
The trail follows the tow path of the early 19th century Champlain Canal which runs north-south through town parallel and near Route 4 and 32. The original 25-foot-wide Champlain Canal flowed from Waterford to Lake George and on into Lake Champlain. Once completed, Halfmoon’s portion of the trail is to run 7 miles north to south. It will eventually connect with Mechanicville and Waterford. For more information visit; OLD CHAMPLAIN CANAL TRAIL . You can ride another section of the old Champlain Canal in the town of Waterford. See; Old Champlain Canal Trail Letterbox .
Starting from the Upper Newtown Road parking lot; The trail north is currently undeveloped. Heading south from the parking lot the trail is wide and consists of stone-dust. There are not many remnants of the canal along this section, although you'll pass by an old bridge abutment at 0.3 miles. The trail is open, without much shade and isolated. You cross over a culvert after 3/4 miles where you'll see some old stonework from the canal. After crossing a dirt road the canal appears alongside the trail. You'll pass by another stone bridge abutment and come to a section of the canal that has widened into a marsh. Lots of wildlife to spot here. You cross over Lower Newton Rd at about 1.5 miles. The canal disappers into a sinkhole, where a culvert takes it under the trail. I believe this is Wilson's Culvert, a large culvert that allows Owl Creek to freely pass beneath the Champlain Canal. You then come to Brookwood Road after 1.8 miles. The southern section of the trail is also undeveloped. However, funds have been secured to continue the trail another couple of miles south to the Waterford town line.
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