The Normanskill, Albany, NY
Hard to believe, but true, kayaking the Normanskill Creek in Albany is every bit as exciting and relaxing as anywhere I've ever kayaked in NYS. I only began kayaking the Normanskill late in 2006, so I'm still discovering it. I hope it stays unspoiled by development... the steep slippery banks, sometimes swift flow and environmental regulations all help. So far, I've seen deer, beaver, turtles, ducks, geese, an owl, lots of wild turkeys and even a big old heron presiding over it all. And to think it flows within 3 miles of the center of Albany.
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER: OLDEST REPORTS FIRST
Spring 2007 Report:
April 16th Rainstorm GOOD NEWS: a foot of water in our back yard and lots of water for the Normanskill.
April 23rd: Outrageously perfect weather! I said I wish I was on the water and my wife said go...
I put in at New Scotland Ave. at the new picnic area (the one with the gazebo) on the Albany/Bethlehem line. The current's really not as strong as I expected after last week's rain. I paddled about 4 miles upstream (almost to Krumkill Road) until encountering a flow that's always too strong for me and as usual I let the creek turn me around and resigned myself to an easy 4 miles back down to New Scotland Ave.
Yawn.
Just wait til it's green.
Next time, I'll see what's downstream from New Scotland Ave. That's only maybe 2 miles each way and one must turn back before one gets to the City Gardens where the Normanskill gets too shallow and swift to paddle back up. Then, on the downstream side of the Delaware Ave. bridge, there are conditions that "would probably kill the average kayaker" according to a NYSDEC expert.
June 2007 Report:
June 16th: Probably not poison ivy. Perfect weather today. Put in at New Scotland Avenue.
It's green and lush and there are scarce few signs of our city of almost a hundred thousand.
Here's Capital Hills and a golfer waving hi. Don't go below the golf courses if you want to be able to paddle back upstream. Anyway, conditions below the Delaware Ave. bridge are deadly. Literally.
I paddled back upstream to New Scotland Ave., then a mile farther upstream until this newly toppled tree blocked me. Normally, I'd go over or around it, but felt lazy. Maybe a torrential rainstorm or the government or somebody will move it. I went downstream as far as the golf courses again, then back up here, then down to New Scotland Ave., perhaps 10 miles total; not bad for feeling lazy.
July 2007 Report:
This tree is a mile up from New Scotland Ave. and needs a good trimming so paddlers can go around it.
Packing list for someone's next trip: Camera, sandwich, snacks, energy drink, bow saw...
A shot of my buddy, the great blue heron in air, upper left. He plays hide and seek for miles.
Playing through...please don't hit my kayak...
Golf ball retrieval technique...
Poached golf balls.
Who loses the most balls... Capital Hills or Normanside Country Club? Hard to say. They wouldn't lose any balls if they'd come down to the water and paddle a few miles and get some real exercise!
August through October 2007 Report:
Apple tree offering drive-thru convenience.
This colossal-size tree fell from the Albany side and almost completely blocks the creek halfway between New Scotland Ave. and Krumkill Rd. Impassable? Nah. Just be careful.
A beaver "bachelor dam" in progress on the Bethlehem side.
A little island made entirely of clay.
A little bit below Krumkill Road, the water gets too quick and shallow for me to paddle up, unless I get out and pull the kayak a bit.
April 2008 Report:
The Normanskill is swollen with water and it's moving fast...quite a workout!
Looks like the spring melt has washed away every single tree and jam shown above.
Here's the latest waterfront development.
25 April 2008 Special Report:
THE UPPER NORMANSKILL
We put in just below the Watervliet Reservoir. From the reservoir down to Krumkill Road, the Normanskill is essentially one-way, there being many small rapids.
The cliffs I've heard about, but didn't believe. Can you see my fellow kayaker up ahead? He's just starting down a small rapids.
Major logjam. No way to sneak around this one; we had to portage. We took different ways. For me, it was easiest to go right through some blackberry brambles. This is one of the two jams that completely block paddlers and must be portaged around.
July & August 2008 Report:
Sat. 26 July Thanks to this week's rainstorms, the Normanskill is swollen with water, fast and muddy. This is fun and a great workout. I paddle against the current all the way from the golf courses, up past Krumkill Road to the humongous logjam, then back down.
The floodwater was ten feet high. Glad I wasn't here then. Someday, on shore, I'd like to see the Normanskill flood up during a big rainstorm!
Here is the Krumkill Road area:
Old Krumkill Road bridge foundation.
November 2008 Report:
American Bald Eagle 9 November 2008 over Krumkill Road. Didn't believe my eyes til I heard the eagle! There are reports online and even a short video of it.
May 2009 Report:
Immediately below the Watervliet Reservoir dam is the beginning point of many an all day expedition, but not today, no way, it looked like a mud puddle. So, we went to the new access point at the County Route 203 bridge and paddled upstream, but it's just not easy paddling with the water so low. This is why I rarely paddle this far above Krumkill Road without a lot of rain first.
September 2009 Report:
The long-promised boat slide is coming to New Scotland Avenue! This was planned long before the Great Recession, but I was afraid the funds might have dried up. I know I've been doing a lot less work for the state lately!
Otherwise, the water's getting low. but it's all beautiful as always...
til next time-
October 2009 Report:
Below New Scotland Avenue, some fall colors, well at least yellow.
November 2009 Report:
Dang, everybody's got something more important for me to do than go paddling. Now, not only the leaves are gone, half the water's gone too!
til next time-
~WHERE I GO IN:~
We have a little park with 4 picnic benches and a small gazebo at Albany's city limit on New Scotland Avenue. The pedestrian bridge is done and I hear they have hiking trails in mind. The long planned canoe/kayak slide is completed. If well received, it will be a prototype for the region.
My heartfelt thanks to the D.E.C. for making the New Scotland Avenue access easy and safe. It was completed in November 2009. Once in, I can paddle about 2 miles down to the golf courses as well as at least 6 miles up, past Krumkill Rd.
The parking and picnic area.
Steep and slippery. This is where I used to go in a hundred feet from the 2009 boat slide. I have ropes, fore and aft, so I could "guide" my craft into the water, hopefully without breaking my neck. The kayak is nearly indestructible, too.
Very steep and at least 15 feet down.
~Normanskill Art~
I love sketching the natural beauty of the Normanskill (and other Albany area treasures) but don't have nearly enough free time. Anyway, here's a few good examples. I work from my own photos.
Early spring 2008.
Capital Hills municipal golf course and golfer waving hi.
More of my original sketches of the Normanskill are on my Pen & Ink Landscape Drawings and my Albany Scenes pages. They are for sale, both originals and small prints.
