Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, NY - Winding Waters Trail

ABOUT THE PARK:
Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge - US Fish and Wildlife Service
Wallkill River Nature Trails - US Fish and Wildlife Service
No dogs allowed on this trail.

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.28787, -74.53389

Parking at the Oil City Road Fishing and Canoe Access lot.  This lot was full when I drove back by at noon.

TRAIL MAP:
Refuge Map (shows all trails) - US Fish and Wildlife Service
Winding Waters Trail Map - US Fish and Wildlife Service

HIKE DISTANCE:
Winding Waters Trail - 2.6 miles
hiked together with a 4 mile drive to:
Timberdoodle Trail  - 4.7 miles (2.35 miles each way)
NOTE:  The 2.5 mile Liberty Loop Trail is a .5 mile road walk away, the road walk actually being part of the Appalachian Trail.  Combining the two hikes would make for about a 6.1 mile hike.

THE HIKE:
Shawnee had to sit this one out because she has been having trouble with one of her back legs toeing in and collapsing all week.  It's much better than it was earlier in the week but I felt it best she stay home this weekend so I took the opportunity to do a no dogs allowed hike.  I did my best to sneak out without her but it is very hard to fool her when one is sneaking out to go hiking without her.

The trail starts to the left of the kiosk in the parking lot.

The power lines along the trail were full of birds.

And they were constantly coming and going.

A gray catbird that was not part of the power line gang.

Beautiful countryside views along the trail.

Wildflowers everywhere.

As I approached this bench on the left ...

... an egret took off and ...

... landed a distance away.

Wallkill River with the egret on the far left.

Another egret flew in, the original one took off and the second one landed in the same spot.

Pochuck Mountain in the distance.

The trail forks and I went left.

The trail follows along Wallkill River.

This area was full of cedar waxwings but they weren't posing for photographs very well today.

There are a couple of side trails down to the river for better views of ...

... the small waterfalls,

The trail then leaves the river and crosses a field before ...

... turning right through a hedgerow.

So close off of the trail and they did not see me standing there taking pictures, two or three fawns grazing.

The slowly moved on and were swallowed up by the vegetation.  You would never know they had been there.

Finishing the loop and retracing the first part of the hike by the bench where the egrets were.

Back at the power lines with the tree swallows.

And back at the parking lot.

Wallkill River from an access trail off of the parking lot.

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