Up Yonda Farm Environmental Education Center is partnering with the Lake George Land Conservancy to offer a new series of hikes in Bolton led by Up Yonda’s naturalists. This Discovery Series will include themed hikes, May through October, and geared towards learners of all ages. Hikes will be limited to 15 participants, and are expected to take 1.5 to 2 hours.
Thanks to the Town of Bolton for supporting the Discovery Series!
| Date | Location | Meet/Park | Theme and Description | Time and length of program |
| Saturday, May 7 | Godwin Preserve – Red trail to yellow | Godwin Preserve Trailhead | Vernal Pools – Have you ever visited springtime temporary pools that host all sorts of forest life? Join a Naturalist for a walk to some of Godwin’s vernal pools to examine what types of amphibians make these part of their life cycle. The trails will be muddy, bring boots! | 9-10 (1hr), 1 mile out and back |
| Saturday, May 28 | Amy’s Park – Out and back on Yellow Trail | Main Trail parking lot | Beavers – Beavers are called ecosystem engineers for a reason! Check out a real beaver pond and lodge, and try your hand at making your own miniature version during a hands-on activity. | 9-10:30 (1.5hr) |
| Saturday, June 4 | The Pinnacle Trail | Pinnacle Preserve Trailhead | National Trails Day – Leave No Trace & Stewardship – The Adirondacks is a unique and special place that we can all work together to protect. Learn about the best practices for outdoor recreation and some of the history behind the Adirondack Park. | 9-11 (2hr), 3 mile round trip |
| Saturday, June 18 | Bradley’s Lookout | Pinnacle Preserve Trailhead | Found and Seek with iNaturalist – Citizen Science is a great way to get involved with scientific research. Download and create accounts for the apps iNaturalist and Seek before you arrive, and learn how to use them on the trail to learn about flora and fauna and contribute data to active research projects. | 9-10:30 (1.5hr), 1.2 mile round trip |
| Friday, July 1 | Thomas Mountain | Thomas Mountain Trailhead – Valley Woods Road | Lake George Ecosystem – Join a Naturalist on a hike up Thomas Mountain. On this out and back hike you’ll learn about the flora, fauna, and natural history of the area. | 8:30-11:30 (3hr), 3 mile round trip |
| Friday, July 8 | Godwin Preserve to Lookout | Godwin Preserve Trailhead | Birding at the Overlook – Take a hike up to the Godwin Preserve Overlook and check out some Adirondack birds close up. This overlook provides great views of soaring raptors and nearby songbirds. Binoculars and the smartphone app Merlin Bird ID recommended. | 9-11 (2hr), 1.6 mile round trip |
| Friday, July 15 | Edgecomb Pond | Cat Mountain Trailhead, Edgecomb Pond Lot | Becoming a Naturalist: Exploring with a Nature Journal – Naturalists are masters of observation. Sharpen your skills by creating a Nature Journal to record some of the things we’ll see on a visit to Edgecomb Pond. Bring something to write in, and something to write with. Blank, unlined paper and pencils work best! | 8:30-9:30 (1hr), less than a mile (~.4 miles) |
| Friday, July 22 | Bradley’s Lookout | Pinnacle Preserve Trailhead | Neature Hike! – Nature is pretty neat, come see some of the neatest things out there on a hike about all the interesting and unique things we can find in nature. | 8:30-10:00 (1.5hr), 1.2 mile round trip |
| Friday, July 29 | Amy’s Park – Orange Trail | Orange Trail Parking lot | Leave No Trace & Stewardship – The Adirondacks is a unique and special place that we can all work together to protect. Learn about the best practices for outdoor recreation and some of the history behind the Adirondack Park. | 9-10:30 (1.5hr), 2 miles round trip Orange Trail |
| Friday, August 5 | LGLC Offices – Pond | LGLC offices/ road parking | Pond Life – Get hands on with science exploration in an Adirondack Pond! You’ll use sampling nets to capture and examine different critters and meet some fun animal ambassadors from Up Yonda Farm. | 8:30-9:30 (1hr) |
| Friday, August 12 | Amy’s Park – Out and back on Yellow Trail | Main trail parking lot | Stream Sampling – There’s tons of life in a moving stream, you just have to know where to look! We’ll use nets to collect samples, and will practice using observations to identify what we’ve found. | 9-11 (2hr), .5 mile round trip |
| Friday, August 19 | Godwin Preserve to Lookout | Godwin Preserve Trailhead | Critters of All Sizes – Join a Naturalist for a walk looking for signs of animal life! We’ll keep an eye out for insects, footprints, scat, birds, and other evidence of animals as we head to the Godwin lookout. | 9-11 (2hr), 1.6 mile round trip |
| Friday, August 26 | The Pinnacle Trail | Pinnacle Preserve Trailhead | Adirondack Geology – Wander up the Pinnacle trail with a Naturalist and learn about the geology of the Lake George basin. You’ll find out what has happened in the geologic past to create the beautiful scenery we see from the lookout. | 8:30 -10:30 (2hr), 3 mile round trip |
| Saturday, September 3 | Edgecomb Pond | Cat Mountain Trailhead, Edgecomb Pond Lot | Becoming a Naturalist: Exploring with a Nature Journal – Come out for a second round of nature journaling and see how the environment has changed with the seasons! Bring something to write in, and something to write with. Blank, unlined paper and pencils work best! | 8:30-9:30 (1hr), less than a mile (~.4 miles) |
| Saturday, September 17 | Amy’s Park | Main Parking Lot | Watersheds – Come walk along the wetlands at Amy’s Park and observe how water moves into the Lake George basin. | 9-11 (2hr) 1.4 mile out and back |
| Saturday, October 8 | Godwin Preserve | Godwin Preserve Trailhead | Falling into Winter – Walk through the Godwin Preserve observing how Adirondack plants and animals prepare for winter. This hike will include a stop at the overlook to see these changes on a larger scale over neighboring Amy’s Park. | 9-11 (2hr), 1.6 mile round trip |
| Saturday, October 15 | Bradley’s Lookout Trail | Pinnacle Preserve Trailhead | Changing Trees – Join a Naturalist on a walk through the forest observing how the local trees are changing before winter, and learn some Adirondack tree identification. | 9-10:30 (1.5hr), 1.2 mile round trip |