Biking - Stillwater/Fort Edward Loop

I've been wanting to start getting in some longer rides, so when some friends invited me to do 50 miles along the Hudson River, it seemed like a perfect idea. I had done this ride, or something very similar, a couple of years ago, and it was a nice ride.

We parked at Lock 4 Canal Park in Stillwater, and headed up the east side of the Hudson to Fort Edward, about 25-26 miles on a gently rolling road with many river views. Arriving in Fort Edward, we stopped for lunch at a ubiquitous Stewart's Shop, and then took a side trip around Rogers island to view the current dredging operation. General Electric illegally dumped tons of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the river here many years ago, and the cleanup of the river bottom is now in progress.



Crossing to the west side of the river, we headed south back toward the car, with a slow gradual climb and fast descent down NY32 into Schuylerville. We took a short break at a park there before grinding out the last 13 miles to the cars.

The 20% chance of stray showers for the day did not strike until we were driving out of the parking lot headed home. Overall, it was about 55 miles and 880 feet of climbing, not a bad day.