Baird Park

Trail guide:

1.  You can print out a handy trail map from the official NY State Baird Park page.  There are also a few maps posted around the park grounds, but as of this writing, they are mostly mangled, so you’d do well to bring your own copy.

2. From the parking lot in front of Mahoney’s on the Green restaurant, head across the street, near the cul-de-sac (Mahoney’s will be on your right) and look for the small map podium that marks the trailhead at the beginning of the woods.

3.  Jump on the trail at the podium and head up the hill.  It’s easy to miss the markers, but this trail is marked green.

4.  In just a moment, the Green Trail dead-ends onto a gravel road.  Take a left onto this road, then an immediate right (it’s a dogleg turn, if you will).  If you look sharp, you can see the red marker for the right turn.

5.  After taking just a few more steps, look for another right turn that heads uphill.  Take this turn and start gaining some altitude.  And have no fear: we’ll pick up some proper trail markers soon.

6.  As you continue to head uphill, you’ll come to a very visible landmark.  It’s either an old water tower or an ogre’s above-ground pool.

At the ogre’s pool, take a hard right uphill onto the Red Trail, which is marked with actual trail markers.

7.  You’ll stay on the Red Trail for quite some time, wrapping around the southern end of the park and heading north again.  You might catch an occasional (very seasonal) view of some hills in the distance, but otherwise, this is just a place to enjoy your immediate surroundings.

As the Red Trail heads north, it comes very close to the Taconic Parkway.  You can’t see it, but you sure can hear it.  Scoff at all the people going to or coming from work up there.  And don’t worry – we’ll lose the road noise soon enough.

8.  Exercise caution as the Red Trail crosses Baird Park Road – cars can be moving very quickly here as they come off the Taconic.

9.  Shortly after you cross the road, keep an eye out to make sure you keep following the Red Trail markers.  There’s one spot where the trail heads up a small bluff to the left, but there’s an unmarked section of trail that goes straight, next to a seasonal bog, and then ends, leaving you wondering why you’re not on the trail anymore.  Follow the red markers and this terrible fate won’t befall you, like it did to, uh, my friend.  Yes, my friend.  Not me.

10.  After a few minutes, a podium marks a trail coming in from the left.  Stay straight on the Red Trail.

11.  A few minutes more, and you’ll cross a surprisingly non-picturesque little footbridge. I think it’s the plywood ramp that kills the vibe.  Still, better than walking in the mud.

12.  About three minutes after the footbridge, you’ll come to a junction, marked by another podium, with the Blue Trail.  Hooray!  The Blue Trail is my favorite part of this park, and it’s the place you’ll most feel like you’ve gotten away from civilization.  Turn right to hop on it.  (A left here on the Red-Blue Trail would be a shortcut that knocks a little less than a mile off this hike, which could be handy if you’re short on time.  Consult the Trail Map and jump down to Step 20 in this guide if you need to get back for a job interview or something.)

You’ll also see a blue wooden arrow pointing the way.

13.  In just a moment, you’ll have a chance to leave the Blue Trail and follow the sign on your left to the Picnic Area.  Ignore the siren call of the Picnic Area and head right to stay on the Blue Trail.

14.  Follow the Blue Trail over some burbling creeks and much nicer little footbridges.

If you take a dip here, be sure to dry off when you’re done.

15.  Keep an eye out for the Blue Trail markers as you wander here, as there are a couple of unmarked trails (little corner cutoffs, mostly) that might tempt you into wandering into uncharted territory.

16.  Climb a few nice hills, and notice that you don’t hear the Taconic anymore.  Ahhhhh.

17.  At the top of the largest hill you’ve climbed yet, you’ll see a side trail leading off to the left, with a marker saying “Steep Trail.”  I’ve always ignored this trail and stayed on the Blue Trail.  The Steep Trail is just a slightly shorter cutoff that rejoins the Blue Trail in a minute or two.  Let’s ignore it together now.

This junction is a nice spot to give any freeloaders who might be riding on your back a moment to stretch their legs.

Off to your right, you can just get a glimpse of a farmer’s fields in the distance.  That’s about as close to an overlook as you’re going to get on these trails, so enjoy it.

18.  Head down the hill on the Blue Trail, and in just a moment, you’ll pop out onto a gravel road, with the backside of another podium greeting you.

Go left on this road, then take another left on the paved road in just a few more steps.  Off to your right, you can see the park’s golf course.

19.  Ascend the small hill on the paved road to find a huge picnic area open up to your left.  If you brought a picnic, now would be a good time to bust it out.

20.  Just past the picnic area, you’ll see the Trees of a Thousand Trail Markers on your left, just off the road.  Okay, maybe it’s just five trail markers.  Still, they’re pretty easy to spot.

Take a left here to plunge back into the woods, rejoining our old pal Red Trail.

20.  In about a hundred yards, you’ll head down a little hill to find a fork in the path.  Take a right to stay on the Red Trail.

21.  Follow the Red Trail as it meanders through the woods.  Once again, be careful when the trail crosses the street.

22.  This section of trail can be a little boggy at times, but some enterprising person has built a little log path to help.

(Side note: You’ll notice the Red Trail rejoining you from the right in just a second, even though you’re already on the Red Trail.  This is because there’s a different section of Red Trail that crosses the street a little lower down.  This confused me a bit at first, but I’m easily confusible.  Just ignore this derelict Red Trail junction with itself and keep heading straight.)

23.  Directly after you’ve crossed the street and braved the little boggy section, the official Red Trail splits off to the left.  You want to go right here.

24.  After you take that right turn to leave the Red Trail, you’ll see your new trail blazed with unofficial, knockoff Red Trail blazes.  A different color choice might have been nice, but hey, this hike is free, right?

25.  Follow the unofficial Red Trail straight through the next intersection.  That trail heading off to your left is the one you took uphill towards the ogre’s pool about three miles ago.

26.  When the knockoff Red Trail dumps you off back onto the gravel road, take a left and then a quick right, dogleg-style.  Recognize this place?

27.  Follow the trail down the hill to Mahoney’s on the Green and your car.  There are plenty of worse ways to spend 3.2 miles, right?