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Loop Trails near Albany

27 routes near Albany qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 2.8 km and 84 m (276 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 13.0 km.

That is 29 percent of the 93 routes we map near Albany. They are shorter than the local average, 2.8 km against 6.2 km, which is what makes this a practical shortlist for a half day. They also climb less than the area average, 84 m (276 ft) against 162 m (531 ft), so they suit a recovery day or a group with mixed fitness.

Circular routes: park once, finish where you started, and never walk the same section twice. The mix is broad: 23 are rated easy and 1 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day. A good share of them are loops, so you can park once and finish where you started.

Trails

Bascom Lodge atop Mount Greylock
Hard

Thoreau’s Footsteps

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
13.0 km
/ 8.1 mi
Elevation gain
705 m
Typical duration
3 hr 46 min
Easy

Bird Watching Loop

New York · United States

Distance
2.4 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
52 m
Typical duration
34 min
  • Lake
  • Wildlife watching
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Shaker Gorge Scenic Loop

New York · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
30 m
Typical duration
20 min
  • Canyon and gorge
  • Waymarked route
Om symbol on the Main Hall doorway, Kripalu Center for Yoga Health, Stockbridge, MA, 2014. For the Kripalu Center's description of the meaning of the symbol, read Valerie Reiss's article at: https://kripalu.org/article/1510/
Moderate

Charcol Trail

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
160 m
Typical duration
50 min
Easy

Campground Trail

New York · United States

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
27 m
Typical duration
18 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Nature Center Trail

New York · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
41 m
Typical duration
27 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Blue Scenic Loop

New York · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
22 m
Typical duration
14 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Blue Trail

New York · United States

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
51 m
Typical duration
34 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

East Bluffs Trail

New York · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
20 m
Typical duration
13 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Forts Ferry Loop

New York · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
30 m
Typical duration
20 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Green Trail

New York · United States

Distance
1.8 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
40 m
Typical duration
26 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

High-Water Bypass

New York · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
13 m
Typical duration
9 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Partridge Path

New York · United States

Distance
10.4 km
/ 6.5 mi
Elevation gain
229 m
Typical duration
2 hr 31 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Paul Schaefer Yellow Trail

New York · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
41 m
Typical duration
27 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Perimeter Trail

New York · United States

Distance
3.3 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
72 m
Typical duration
47 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Southern Blue Trail

New York · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
18 m
Typical duration
12 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

White MTB Trail

New York · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
16 m
Typical duration
10 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Yellow Scenic Loop

New York · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
10 m
Typical duration
7 min
  • Waymarked route
Reservoirs near Pittsfield as seen from Round Top. andyarthur.org/photos/greylock/pontsuclak.html
Moderate

Rounds Rock Trek

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
11.4 km
/ 7.1 mi
Elevation gain
319 m
Typical duration
2 hr 51 min
Easy

Blue loop trail

New York · United States

Distance
3.0 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
65 m
Typical duration
43 min
Easy

Loop 1

New York · United States

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
50 m
Typical duration
33 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Blue Loop Trail

New York · United States

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
45 m
Typical duration
30 min
Easy

Loop 2

New York · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
41 m
Typical duration
27 min
Easy

Loop 3

New York · United States

Distance
4.0 km
/ 2.5 mi
Elevation gain
88 m
Typical duration
58 min
Easy

Red Loop Trail

New York · United States

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
27 m
Typical duration
18 min

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Thoreau’s FootstepsMassachusetts13.0 km705 m3 hr 46 minHardApril to October
Bird Watching LoopNew York2.4 km52 m34 minEasyApril to October
Shaker Gorge Scenic LoopNew York1.4 km30 m20 minEasyApril to October
Charcol TrailMassachusetts2.8 km160 m50 minModerateApril to October
Campground TrailNew York1.2 km27 m18 minEasyApril to October
Nature Center TrailNew York1.9 km41 m27 minEasyApril to October
Blue Scenic LoopNew York1.0 km22 m14 minEasyApril to October
Blue TrailNew York2.3 km51 m34 minEasyApril to October
East Bluffs TrailNew York0.9 km20 m13 minEasyApril to October
Forts Ferry LoopNew York1.4 km30 m20 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Thoreau’s Footsteps, Bird Watching Loop, Shaker Gorge Scenic Loop. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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