BURDEN POND ENVIRONMENTAL PARK

OWNER:City of Troy

IN BRIEF: Burden Pond Environmental Park is a beautiful area, adversely affected by litter and trail damage from motorized vehicles. It includes a small lake formed along the Wynants Kill by a low dam, and a wide marshland surrounding it. Steep slopes adjoin the valley on all sides. Burden Falls are a short distance upstream.

DIRECTIONS: Follow U.S. Route 4 through South Troy along Mill Street up a hill to where it intersects Campbell Avenue and Delaware Avenue, and you will find the park is at the junction of these streets. Turn (left) up Delaware Avenue beside the pond and park in the lot at the bend in the road where Delaware Avenue becomes Thompson Street. The trail begins at the east side of the parking lot at the wooden posts.

CAUTIONS & PROHIBITIONS: The trails are steep and very slippery in wet weather. Indeed, it is probably not wise to visit here when the ground is soggy. Along the Wynants Kill there are cliffs by the waterfalls, and special care is needed when walking there. We recommend that you keep away from the edges. Burden Pond is in an urban area, and daylight hours are best for a visit. You should bring a friend along. Do not litter, disturb the plants or animals, or build fires.

DESCRIPTION: Burden Pond was formed in the Wynants Kill as early as 1809 to provide water power for the Troy Iron Works downstream. The pond is much smaller than it was in the heyday of Troy's industry. Sediment has been deposited in the pond and filled in some of its area. A substantial portion is now a marsh of cattails, and it is a popular habitat for waterfowl. Ducks, herons, gulls, northern harriers, swallows, and red-winged blackbirds are frequently seen.

Starting from the parking lot at the top of Delaware Avenue one must look among old car bodies and other debris for the posts that mark the beginning of the trail. Fortunately, those who litter are lazy, and further into the park there is little refuse. In addition to the trail down the hill from the parking lot, there is a level trail starting near the dam at the junction of Route 4 (Mill Street) and Campbell Avenue. This trail joins the hill trail near the edge of the marsh. You can walk at least half a mile without climbing the hill on the far side. There are a lot of paths, and we recommend keeping to the right along the edge of the marsh and stream, except for the very first junction where the trail from the dam comes in from the right. The map does not show all unofficial trails at the park that climb the hill to the north of the stream. These trails are frequently used by motor bikes and leave city property, and therefore are not recommended for hiking.

Inevitably the trail leads to the slope, and it is a bit of a challenge in spots. However, the hillside is covered with interesting plants. There is a great variety of trees to be seen: red, white, and chestnut oaks, red maple, box elder, shagbark hickory, American elm, white ash, black cherry, mulberry, and basswood. The shrubs are just as rich and numerous. Spice bushes dot this slope. Among the spring wildflowers are violets, rue anemone, trout lily, early meadow rue, wild geranium, and false Solomon's seal. Summer and fall bring field flowers such as Joe pyeweed, goldenrods, boneset, jewelweed, and asters into bloom. Fall is glorious at Burden Pond with the brilliant colors of the trees seen across the water, and the yellow leaves of spice bush contrasting with the bright red ones of sumac.

On the far slope, do not hike the informal trails to the height of land above, but climb only to the middle level where the path winds along a bluff above the Wynants Kill to Upper and Lower Burden Falls. These are beautiful in every season. In spring the banks are decorated with blooming shadblow, echoing the whiteness of the rushing water. The shaley bluffs are a dry habitat covered with lichens and mosses, in contrast to the wetland nearby. As you walk along the Wynants Kill notice the old water conduit located across the stream, leading from a higher holding area, the former Lower Smarts Pond, down to the powerhouse at the beginning of Burden Pond. The dam impounding Lower Smarts Pond has been breached, and the pond no longer exists.

Burden Pond is an area well worth a visit despite the difficult walking. Trails are not marked, and there is a number of confusing paths, but if you head generally east on the way in and west going out you will be hiking in the correct direction.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Recreation Department, City of Troy, City Hall, Troy, NY 12180. Telephone: (518) 270-4600.