We were looking for somewhere to go hiking in the Saratoga area.  I found Woods Hollow Nature Preserve, which is under 10 minutes from Saratoga Spa National Park.

I used Google Maps to find the park.  Google directed me to a large parking lot located off Northline Road. 

The entrance to the parking lot is not labeled, so I almost missed it.  It was also very difficult to cross over traffic when it was time to leave, as there was quite a bit of traffic on this road.  

There are some pull-off areas on Ballston Ave as well. Due to traffic and the trails I tried, I would have preferred to park in one of the pull-off areas.

There is a kiosk with some information and a trail map.

Unfortunately, the kiosk trail map is not the best.

I did see some Google reviews that say it can be tough to follow the trails.  I did notice that the trees were spray painted with colors, and there are no actual trail markers.  The kiosk map was also not color-coded, so I wasn’t sure where I was going, even if a tree was marked with a color.

I read that the trails are about 1.9 miles.  There are lots of different loops and segments with areas to explore.

I started off on the trail by the parking lot.  It is a wide and mostly flat trail.

I wasn’t particularly impressed by the scenery to start, as there was some trash, and a sandy area that appeared to be showing some wear (maybe by bikers).

However, I spotted some pretty flowers along the trails.

The trails are flat and meander through forested areas, and I enjoyed the shade that the trees provided.

I did not make it to the pond at the preserve, but it is a great feature of this natural area. Check out this blog for a post and photos of the pond:

https://saratogawoodswaters.blogspot.com/2020/07/plants-and-pollinators-at-woods-hollow.html

Overall, the preserve was a nice way to get outdoors and enjoy some walking. I would have liked to see a nicer map and trail markers, and a sign for the parking lot as well. Some of the trails and areas were not particularly scenic, but the pond is a nice feature if you make it over there.

Check out my other Capital Region Hikes.