Paths to the Past History Hikes by Russell Dunn and Barbara Delaney

Thirty-one guided hikes and walks explore the rich variety of landscapes in eastern upstate New York that offer still-visible evidence of the area’s long and colorful history from prehistoric Native American settlements to abandoned 20th-century industries. Walk in the footsteps of those whose lives had a profound impact on history—like John Burroughs, Eleanor Roosevelt, Sir William Johnson, and “Gentleman Johnny” Burgoyne—and many others who led quieter lives but also left a legacy.
Visit the site where a British Army surrendered and ended one of the pivotal battles of the American Revolution; an abandoned bluestone quarry where hikers have created “Catskill furniture”; Colonial homesteads and estates; remnants of “Clinton's Ditch”—the original Erie Canal; “Gilded Age” great estates and presidential retreats; crumbling icehouse ruins and geological marvels; magnificent waterfalls, ice caves, and four-state views; and much more—a kaleidoscope of upstate New York's beautiful natural areas and the stories they tell. Featuring nearly 150 full-color photographs and maps.

The Paths include:
North & South Redoubt (Garrison) • Bowdoin Park Rock Shelters (New Hamburg) • Walkway over the Hudson & Cedar Glen Ruins (Poughkeepsie) • Val-Kill (Hyde Park) • Vanderbilt Mansion & Bard Rock (Hyde Park) • Slabsides (West Park) • Dover Stone Church Cave (Dover Plains) • Ice Caves & Sam’s Point (Cragsmoor) • Falling Waters (Glasco) • Dibble’s Quarry (Platte Clove) • Old Stage Road to Catskill Mountain House Site (Palenville) • High Falls (Philmont) • Hudson River Skywalk: Thomas Cole House to Olana (Catskill & Hudson) • Mawignack Preserve (Catskill) • R. & W. Scott Icehouse Ruins (Nutten Hook) • Joralemon Memorial Park (Ravena) • Washington Park (Albany) • Hollyhock Hollow Sanctuary (Feura Bush) • John Boyd Thacher State Park: Section I: High Point & Hang Glider Cliff (Altamont) & Section II: Upper Minelot Creek (New Salem) • Johnson Hall State Historic Site (Johnstown) • Christman Sanctuary Preserve (Delanson) • Normanskill Farm (Delmar) • Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park (Watervliet) • Erie Canal Ruins (Cohoes) • Shenantaha Creek Park (Round Lake) • Lester Park (Saratoga Springs) • Victory Woods (Schuylerville) • Dickinson Hill Fire Tower (Grafton) • Dyken Pond (Grafton) • Mattison Hollow (Berlin) • Snow Hole (Petersburg Pass) • Field Farm & McMasters Caves (South Williamstown)