RECREATION             
Parks                  Hunting & Fishing      Camping/Trails           Mine Kill           Lansing Manor
 
www.visitSchoharieCounty.com
 
Blenheim’s scenic beauty, access to outdoor recreation, and location within a wealth of state forest lands are highly valued by the community.  There are two primary town parks in Blenheim.  One park is located behind the Town Hall, offering picnic tables, a pavilion, and community-wide access to the creek.  The second, Bridge Park is the most active community open-space area within the hamlet.  This park is commonly used as an outdoor gathering space for Blenheim community events and picnics.
 
Proximity to Capital District and NYC – All distances are approximate: 40 miles from the Capital District; 150 miles from NYC; 225 miles from Boston; 240 miles from Philadelphia; 270 miles from Montreal; 275 miles from Ottawa; 375 miles from Washington, DC and Toronto. Other metropolitan areas within 400 miles include: Providence, RI; Hartford, CT; Syracuse, NY; Rochester, NY; and Buffalo, NY.
 
 
Streams running through the Town are the Schoharie Creek, Mill Creek, West Kill, Mine Kill, Betty Brook, Cole Brook, and Doney Hollow Creek.

Forest Land
Burnt-Rossman Hills State Forest
 
Located in Schoharie County on Burnt-Rossman Hills State Forest, Looking Glass Pond provides opportunities for fishing and boating. Accessible features include a pathway to the pond with a canoe launch, and fishing pier.

An accessible path at Looking Glass Pond
Directions:
From points North: Take St. Hwy. 30 South of Fultonham. Make a right onto West Fulton Road (sign at that junction shows Looking Glass Pond). Follow West Fulton Road to Rossman Hill Road. Make a left onto Rossman Hill Road and follow to Looking Glass Pond.
From points South: Take St. Hwy. 30 North of Blenheim. Make a left onto West Fulton Road and proceed as above.
Other access points and camping sites located off West Kill Road.

Mine Kill State Park   Rt. 30, Blenheim, NY

Located in the scenic Schoharie Valley, Mine Kill State Park overlooks the NY Power Authority's Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project. Providing good fishing opportunities, the lower reservoir is stocked with trout and walleye, and has several other species, including bass and is ideal for motor boating, kayaking and water skiing.
Minekill State Park has an Olympic size pool, wading pool and a diving pool available at no cost to campers with a valid camping permit. Swim lessons are taught in the summer months--please contact the park office for details. Other warm weather activities include hiking and mountain biking on the parks 8 miles of trails. The park also hosts sessions of the Headwaters Soccer Camp in its regulation sized athletic fields. League play is also welcome.

Cascading 80 feet through a narrow gorge is the picturesque Mine Kill Falls for which the park is named. A separate parking area, 1/4 miles south of the parks' main entrance, provides access to the overlook viewing platforms, as well as the Long Path hiking trail to the lower falls and beyond. In winter, visitors enjoy snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.

A free permit from the NY Power Authority is required to use to the boat launch at Mine Kill State Park. For information or an application, please call the NY Power Authority's Visitor Center at (518) 827-6121. Please allow 2-3 weeks for processing.
In the fall bow hunting for deer is allowed by permit only. Hunting permits are issued by the New York Power Authority via a lottery system. Please call the Power Authority Visitor Center for more details.

Pets    Household pets only; caged or on a leash not more than 6 feet, rabies vaccination and proof of same required. Not permitted in buildings or bathing areas

An accessible path at Looking Glass Pond

Max V. Shaul State Park    Rt. 30, Fulton, NY

Max V. Shaul State Park is a small, quiet camping area with 30 wooded tent and trailer sites. The park has shady picnic grounds, as well as playing fields and a playground. There is a nature and hiking trail, fishing is allowed in Panther Creek and winter visitors can cross-country ski. Also,  a car top boat/fishing access trail to the Schoharie Creek was established in 2011.
There is free access for campers to Mine Kill State Park to enjoy the beautiful Blenheim-Gilboa Reservoir, Mine Kill Falls, and miles of trails. Minekill State Park has an Olympic size pool, wading pool and a diving pool available at no cost to campers with a valid camping permit.
 
PetsHousehold pets only; caged or on a leash not more than 6 feet. Rabies vaccination and proof of same required. Not permitted in buildings. For campers, if your site allows pets, there is a two-pet maximum.
 
 

BLENHEIM-GILBOA Visitors Center  -  Rt. 30, Blenheim, NY

Plan a visit to the Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project in North Blenheim, just 40 miles southwest of Albany on the Schoharie Creek in the northern Catskill Mountains. Our power project and admission-free Visitors Center have a deliberately low profile amidst spectacular scenery, historic settings and a developed state park.

Please call ahead for directions, and special event information, 1-800-724-0309. Visitors center hours of operation: Open 7 days a week, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., year-round. Closed on Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving Day and the following Friday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and Good Friday.

Housed in a 19th-century dairy barn, the Blenheim-Gilboa Visitors Center has been completely renovated as part of our power project’s 25th anniversary. State-of-the-art exhibits and interactive displays demonstrate how our power is made and how it’s used.
Next to our Visitors Center, you'll find Lansing Manor, an early American country estate, built in 1819 by John Lansing, who represented New York as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The manor house was restored by the Power Authority in 1977 and has been renovated since. A history buff's dream come true, Lansing Manor is filled with authentic furnishings from the first half of the 19th century. The house, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is now operated by the Power Authority in cooperation with the Schoharie County Historical Society.
Feel like hiking? Then take a stroll along our 2-1/2-mile Bluebird Trail, so named because of our efforts to help restore populations of New York's state bird.

 In winter, enjoy cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on our trails. The Bluebird Trail traverses a rolling hillside between our Visitors Center and nearby Mine Kill State Park, built by the Power Authority and operated by the Saratoga-Capital District Region of the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Its 650 acres include 3 swimming pools and facilities for softball, basketball, volleyball and horseshoes. Picnic grounds and hiking trails let you commune with nature. Fishing season runs from April through September.
 

Long Path  -  Hike the Long Path
 
Extending 356 miles from Ft. Lee historical park in New Jersey to NY Route 146 in Altamont, near Albany, the Long Path is a thread connecting many of New York’s parks, preserves, and State Forest Lands.

The Long Path (aqua blaze) begins in Ft. Lee, New Jersey.  Crosses into Rockland County, New York.  Enters Harriman State Park.  Joins the Shawangunk Ridge Trail in Greenville.  Crosses the Rondout Valley to traverse Catskill Park.
 
North of Gilboa, the trail follows the western ridge of the Beautiful Schoharie Valley.  The trail passes through Mine Kill Falls State Park and the Blenheim-Gilboa Visitors Center of the New York State Power Authority.  Then heads west, then north through another series of reforestation areas of Blenheim, NY. 
 
East of Patria, the Long Path descends into the Schoharie Valley crossing Vroomansland then ascends Vroomans Nose.
 
Past the cliffs, the trail leaves Schoharie Valley and heads east.  It crosses State Forests to reach Partridge Run Wildlife Management Area in Albany County.    The current official northern terminus of the Long Path is Rt. 146 in Altamont.