Cohotate Preserve - Greene County
Environmental Education Center

     Cohotate Preserve is an environmental park located on the shores of the Hudson River.  By traveling on Rt. 385 you can find the parking lot to the park just south of the town of Athens on the left just after you pass the animal shelter.  You can't miss the sign shown to the right marking the parks entrance.   The Cohotate Preserve is located on the site of an old ice house which was an industry that dominated the late 19th and early 20th centuries along the Hudson River.   As many as eleven ice houses were located in Athens at one time.

All pictures below can be clicked on to view a larger image.

  Turning off of Rt. 385 you enter the spacious parking lot which is
usually pretty empty.  This just means that your hike will be all
the more peaceful. 

Here is a picture of the sign       
starting the entrance to the trail. 

At the entrance there is a small kiosk that shows a large map of the nature trail.    If you are lucky the kiosk will be stocked with paper maps that you can take with you.

The main trail is a small gravel road that leads down to the river.  This small road gives you a nice easy hike down to the river.  It's main purpose was to allow constuction vehicles down to the river to build a classroom for Columbia Greene Community College.  On the right side of the picture you can see a sign.  The nature trail is marked along with way with these signs describing the wildlife you might see along the trail as well as their habitat.

As you go down the main trail just a little way down you will find a trail to the left.   That trail leads you to a new pond just added to the park.  With time that pond will support a diverse selection of wildlife that future nature walkers will be able to enjoy.

The same trail that goes to the pond swings out left in a loop that is a longer way to get down to the river.  This trail is also more of a hiking trail.  As you see in the picture to the right the nature trail has a few beautifully constructed bridges that help span ravines and ditches to make your hike more comfortable so you can stroll along the trail and enjoy nature.

Again you see in this picture a sign along the trail that describes the wildlife you will see in the area.  You also see a bench along the trail.  There are many benches scattered along the main trail so you can sit and enjoy the scenery.

Halfway down the trail there is a large kiosk.  On this kiosk you can learn what plants along this trail are edible, how to tell the age of a deer, and also how to extract maple syrup from a maple tree.

Click here to continue down the trail....