Conserving Land • Protecting Resources
Since 1987
 

As of January 1, 2024, the Rensselaer Land Trust has merged with the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance. For all questions regarding donations, events, land, or other matters, please visit www.rensselaerplateau.org or call 518-712-9211. For questions about the merger, use extension 101 to speak with Jim Bonesteel. You can expect a new name and logo for our merged organization by Spring / Summer 2024 and a new website by the end of the year!

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hoosic2Description

The Hoosic River Property is located on the north side of NY Route 67 along the Hoosic River, and has a parking area, a bench overlooking the river, 3117 feet of river frontage, and a slide launch for canoes and kayaks.

Downstream from the boat launch is an attractive stretch of the Hoosic River, all flatwater and featuring coves and marshy backwaters alive with birds and other animal life. Eagles are frequently seen here. The banks are mostly forested, with some farms and a few houses. Two miles downstream from the boat launch, paddlers pass under the 165‐foot long Buskirk covered bridge, constructed in 1857 and the last surviving wooden covered bridge in Rensselaer County. There is a take‐out at the bridge, and another one just before the Johnsonville Dam, five more miles downstream. The Rensselaer Land Trust is leading a multi‐year effort to remove the invasive water chestnut from the area offshore of the Johnsonville take‐out so paddlers can get to shore more easily. Volunteers for this effort are welcome; contact the Land Trust office if you’re interested.

In addition to the canoe/kayak launch, the Hoosic River Property is open for fishing, birding, and river watching. The remainder of the 32.7 acres is leased to a local farmer who keeps the property in active agriculture.

The parking area and boat launch officially opened to the public on July 31, 2010, a team effort between the Rensselaer Land Trust and the State Department of Environmental Conservation. Acquisition of the property was funded by the state Attorney General’s Office through a settlement resulting from the 2001 Oak Mitsui chemical spill in Hoosick Falls.

hoosic1

Rules

The Property is open to the public from dawn to dusk. Please take all your trash with you when you leave.

Please be aware that your watercraft, equipment, and personal gear can spread aquatic invasive species to other bodies of water. Thoroughly inspect, clean, and dry your boat before putting it in a new body of water. Click here for more information about how you can prevent your boat from spreading invasive species.

Don’t forget your personal flotation device!

Directions

The Hoosic River Property is on the north side of NY Route 67, 0.3 mile west of the center of Eagle Bridge, and 0.2 mile east of the intersection of Route 67 and Beck Road. The Hoosic River Property is 1.5 miles west of the intersection of Routes 67 and 22; and 11 miles east of the intersection of Routes 67 and 40 in Schaghticoke. The entrance is marked by a wooden brown and yellow NYSDEC sign.

Directions to downstream take‐out areas:

At the Buskirk Covered Bridge, on County Route 113 just north of Route 67 in Buskirk, there is parking and launch at a DEC access site on the south shore on the west side of the bridge.

In Johnsonville, the public access is in a cove on the south shore just before the dam. By car, from Route 67 in Johnsonville, go north on County Route 111, then turn right at the firehouse (before the bridge) onto River Road. Go about 1⁄4 mile to the access.

Maps

Hoosic River Property at a glance

  • Hours: Sunrise to Sunset.
  • Description: The NYSDEC hand boat launch here provides paddlers with access to an attractive stretch of the Hoosic River with flat water and abundant bird life. One can put a canoe or kayak in here and paddle downstream 8.2 miles to the pull out site just above the Johnsonville Dam.
  • Activities: Canoeing, kayaking, non-motorized boating, fishing, birding, nature study.
  • Trails: No
  • Handicap Accessible: Yes
  • Location: Hoosick
  • Acres: 33