“Fall Color-fest” Is Starting at Thacher Park

Fall is an awesome time of year around the Capital Region for number of reasons, including an outburst of colors from the changing leaves. Photographers and artists from around the world come to capture the fall landscape of the Hudson Valley.

It's especially cool if you are an amateur photographer who just likes to have fun like me! One of my favorite places to go is a short drive from downtown Albany, John Boyd Thacher Park in Voorheesville. The park is "situated along the Helderberg Escarpment, one of the richest fossil-bearing formations in the world" according to the New York State Parks and Recreation website.

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The rock faced and tree lined cliffs formed by the glaciers, create awesome shadows rolling tree-scapes. It truly is a photographers paradise.

Thacher Park is located in the Helderbergs, an east-west mountain range between the Adirondacks and the Catskills

The escarpment was formed more than 100 million years ago, when layers of limestone, sandstone, and shale were uplifted and eroded by wind, water, and other elements. That is amazing but you can actually see the layers!

One of the main attractions to the park are the Native American trails and the caves tied to Revolutionary War soldiers. These are really cool areas that the whole family find interesting.

Thacher Park is a really cool place to have fun with photography. You can have fun changing sunlight angles, different backgrounds and landscapes or do what I do. Just take pictures of a place that we are so lucky to live close to and take advantage of it.

It costs $6 to park. In December, buy a New York State Empire Pass. They normally cost $80 per year. They get you unlimited parking access to all of the New York State Parks and Beaches. It supports the Department of Parks and Recreation, so I do it every year. In December, they usually put them on sale for $65. It's a good deal. Enjoy!