Cherry Plain State Park is a
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
located in
Rensselaer County
Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
in the United States. The park is located in
Cherry Plain at the southwest part of the
Town of Berlin, near the
border. Outdoor recreational opportunities are also available within the Capital District Wildlife Management Area, a
conservation area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
that nearly surrounds the park.
Park description
Cherry Plain State Park offers a beach, picnic tables with pavilions, a playground, recreation programs, a nature trail, hiking and biking, cross-country skiing, fishing (
bass,
bullheads and
pickerel),
ice fishing
Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities.
Shelters
Longer ...
, and a boat launch with boat rentals. Thirty campsites are available at the park, including ten trailer sites, ten tent sites near Black River Pond, and ten sites that can be reached only by hiking.
[
Cherry Plain State Park is nearly completely surrounded by the Capital District Wildlife Management Area, managed by the ]New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (informally referred to as NYSDEC, DEC, EnCon or NYSENCON) is a department of New York state government. The department guides and regulates the conservation, improvement, and protection ...
. The minimally improved WMA offers opportunities for hiking and cross-country skiing on of hiking trails and of truck trails, in addition to space for horseback riding, hunting, and trapping. In addition to wildlife typical of wooded areas, such as white-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
, beaver
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...
, and wild turkey
The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an Upland game bird, upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic ...
, the Capital District Wildlife Management Area also hosts moose
The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...
, which have recently arrived in the region from neighboring states.
See also
* List of New York state parks
This is a list of state parks in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Also listed are state golf courses, seasonal hunting areas, and ''former'' state parks.
In New York, state parks are managed by the New York State Office of Parks, Re ...
References
External links
New York State Parks: Cherry Plain State Park
Trail map of Cherry Plain State Park and Capital District Wildlife Management Area
State parks of New York (state)
Parks in Rensselaer County, New York
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