Snowshoeing at Anchor Diamond Park at Hawkwood

For the first time this year, we had a weekend day with snow on the ground where I was in town and it wasn't insanely cold. That can only mean one thing: snowshoeing. A friend of mine recommended Anchor Diamond Park in Ballston, NY, so off I went. Anchor Diamond is a relatively new park south of Ballston Spa, with ample parking on Middleline Road (Saratoga County 59) just north of NY Route 50 (map below)



Anchor Diamond was formerly the Hawkwood property, with the first building constructed in 1790 by Henry Walton. The property changed hands a few times until it was acquired by the Town of Ballston in 2014. The park finally opened in October 2016 with 2 trails. Trails have been added since then, with the solid trails in the map below currently "open". A loop around the perimeter trails (using the blue/yellow dashed connector) is approximately 2.6 miles.

Current map of the property. Dashed trail near top left is not blazed,
but it is marked with tape (and obviously used).

I arrived around 1 PM, strapped on the snowshoes, and began my walk through nature. The lot is plowed and sanded and a port-a-potty is present.

The sign and parking lot

The trailhead is at the southwest corner of the parking lot, near two benches. I started Samsung Health and began my hike on the main (white) trail, immediately turning right on the red trail. The trails here generally look like the photos below: flat and wooded.

I turned right onto the blue trail, continuing my trek west and deeper into the park.

Typical blazes at Anchor Diamond

The blue trail generally follows the north edge of the park, occasionally crossing an old stone wall. Most of the tracks turned onto the unopened dashed trail and I followed, cutting over to the yellow trail. While not blazed, the blue-yellow connector is marked with orange tape. There is an unbridged stream that may be difficult if there is no snow on the ground.

The yellow trail contains one of the highlights of the park: an old chimney, located at the back of the park.

I continued south on the yellow trail until it abruptly turned east at the southwest corner of the park.

END OF TRAIL. Knowing how many people in this area are armed,
I wouldn't pass that sign.

The yellow trail is a loop, so make sure you remember which end of the loop leads back to parking.

Yes, both ways are yellow. And I was on yellow when I took this.
Facing west toward the loop split.

Yellow eventually meets the main white trail (it continues west/right, but dead-ends almost immediately) and I turned left, soon turning right onto the orange trail along the SE side of the park.

White/Orange junction, looking west.
Looking east, you only have an orange blaze.

The orange trail does have one small unbridged stream.

Don't worry, you can step across it

The orange trail is often right against the property line, with a fence and field very close to the south side. It meanders its way along the south property line, eventually returning to the white trail a short distance from the parking lot.

If you want a pleasant hike in a beautiful area close to civilization, Anchor Diamond is the place for you. The dense trail network makes it very easy to choose your adventure, with both short and medium-distance hikes possible. And if weather turns bad, returning to the car is quick.